Constitution in jeopardy if Dutch vote No

THE future of the European Constitution could be at serious risk should the Dutch follow the lead of the French and reject it in a referendum tomorrow, Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said yesterday.

“It has to be acknowledged that, if the French referendum started a rolling No with the Dutch [tomorrow] and so on, it would cause us severe difficulty,” he said.

Almost 55% of French people who voted rejected the constitution in Sunday’s referendum. Opinion polls predict that the Dutch will similarly reject it.

The constitution cannot take effect unless ratified by all 25 member states of the EU by November 1 next year. There is provision made that, if four-fifths of countries ratify it, the matter would be referred to the European Council for consideration. Other than review, however, there is no clear “Plan B” for what would happen to the constitution at that point, although several European leaders, including Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, have rejected the possibility that it might be renegotiated.

While a number of member states are simply seeking parliamentary approval for the document, several others, including Ireland, are seeking public approval by way of referendum, thus increasing the risk of rejection. However, the Taoiseach insisted yesterday that the Government would hold a referendum despite the French result. However, the Green Party, which has yet to take a formal position on the constitution, labelled that position “absurd.”

Party chairman John Gormley TD said that pressing ahead with ratification when the French had said No, and with the Dutch expected to do likewise, was “completely illogical.” He urged Mr Ahern to follow the example of British prime minister Tony Blair, who has called for a “period of reflection.”

Fine Gael, too, urged caution, despite the fact that it supports the constitution. The party’s foreign affairs spokesman, Bernard Allen TD, said no decision should be made on the timing of a referendum until European leaders assessed the implications of the French vote.

“The constitution will benefit the people of Ireland and make the EU more efficient. However, Europe must face up to the political reality in which it finds itself,” he said.

“We want the EU heads of government to make a considered assessment of the implications of the French result and of the result of the impending referendum in the Netherlands.”

Sinn Féin, which opposes the constitution, said the ratification process should be scrapped in its entirety.

“It is all very well to say that the Government are just going to push ahead, but what are they going to push ahead with?” asked party chairperson and MEP Mary Lou McDonald. “The constitution has been rejected in France, so it does not have the unanimous support which it requires to come into force.”