Ahern to sign EU Reform Treaty

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will join other EU leaders in Lisbon tomorrow to sign the controversial EU Reform Treaty.

The charter is expected to be put to a referendum in Ireland during 2008.

An opinion poll published last month found 13% of people surveyed will vote against the Treaty while a massive 62% say they didn’t know or had no opinion.

The Government has insisted that key Irish interests are fully represented in the complex Treaty.

Fianna Fáil’s Government partners, the Green Party, is holding a convention of its members in January to decide its official stance on the Treaty.

Last weekend Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams urged people to oppose the Treaty because it will take control away from EU member states.

Tomorrow’s signature ceremony takes place at the historic Jeronimos Monastery in the Portuguese capital.

It will be attended by the 27 EU state leaders as well as European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, European Parliament president Hans-Gert Pottering and European Council president Jose Socrates.

Afterwards the EU leaders are expected to pose for the traditional family photograph.

Many of the politicians, including the Taoiseach, will later travel on to Brussels for the European Council meeting on Friday.