Tuesday

19th Mar 2024

London and Dublin under pressure over EU rights opt-out

  • The charter enshrines the right to strike (Photo: Magnus Fröderberg / norden.org)

The outline for a new EU treaty is continuing to cause political waves in some member states, with Ireland and the UK both under pressure for opting out of a wide-ranging citizens' rights charter.

While it was plain Britain was going to do its best to secure a wholesale exclusion from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Irish premier Bertie Ahern's decision to do the same took trade unions and government coalition partners, the Greens, by surprise.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Mr Ahern took the decision to "reserve the right" to have the same extensive opt-outs as the UK from the charter – detailing economic, social and civil rights – in the final hours of the long and bitter negotiations on a new treaty outline during the 21-22 June summit.

Since then, he has been on the back foot, particularly as it was the media that revealed the opt-out and not Mr Ahern himself.

The negative reaction in some quarters has taken on a deeper political dimension as Ireland is the only country where it is certain that there will be a referendum on the new treaty, which is expected to be finalised by EU leaders at the end of the year.

Mr Ahern has already suggested the public poll should take place next summer.

Trade unions to campaign for a No

But the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has said it will campaign for a No to the treaty in the referendum if the clause allowing Ireland to opt out remains.

"The charter represents a statement of basic values to inform the development of the EU - basic values like respect for human rights and human dignity, democracy, equality, and workers' rights," said Peter McLoone, ICTU president during the organisation's biennial conference on Wednesday (4 July).

The charter's provisions enshrine the right to life, the right to strike, the right to health care and the right to rest periods from work, amongst other things.

Meanwhile, the Green Party, in power for the first time in Ireland, has said the rights charter is key to its support for the EU treaty.

"The Green Party will not support Ireland's watering down of EU-wide equality legislation for domestic implementation," said a statement earlier this week by parliament member and foreign affairs spokesman for the party, Ciaran Cuffe.

Mr Ahern has tried to smooth ruffled political feathers.

Speaking at the ICTU conference, he said he had to make sure "the ramifications of the British opt-out and protocol would not have a knock-on effect not just to Ireland, but everywhere in Europe".

"I was advised late in the morning that you could not assume that by the British putting in this opt-out that it would not have a knock-on effect and all I want to do is make sure," he said, according to the Irish Times.

UK problems

Meanwhile, across the Irish Sea, the UK's Gordon Brown is having similar problems.

A trade union is also up in arms about London's opt-out for the charter, secured because London thought it would introduce additional rights for workers to strike by the back door.

The exclusion from the charter was one of Britain's four 'red lines' announced in the run up to the summit - the red lines were seen as necessary for pacifying the hostile Conservative opposition and giving enough political leeway to declare that a referendum does not need to be held.

But the country's third biggest union, the GMB general union, has condemned the move and put pressure on Mr Brown to hold a public poll, something the British government would like to avoid.

The 54-article charter is to be a legally binding part of the future EU treaty - aside from in the UK, and with opt-out rights reserved for Ireland and Poland.

Finnish PM: Russia preparing for 'long conflict with West'

Finland, which shares a border with Russia, has cautioned about the danger of a Russian attack in coming years. Russia is not "invincible" but "self-satisfaction is no longer an option," Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo said.

EU Commission proposes opening Bosnia accession talks

Eight years on, the EU Commission is to recommend on Tuesday that member states open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country took "impressive steps" to meet the bloc's standards, Ursula von der Leyen said.

Opinion

How the EU can raise its game in the Middle East

Could the EU repair its reputation and credibility by taking action on Gaza? EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, Spain, Belgium and Ireland, have worked hard to repair the damage, but have faced political headwinds due to internal divisions.

Latest News

  1. Borrell: 'Israel provoking famine', urges more aid access
  2. Europol: Israel-Gaza galvanising Jihadist recruitment in Europe
  3. EU to agree Israeli-settler blacklist, Borrell says
  4. EU ministers keen to use Russian profits for Ukraine ammo
  5. Call to change EIB defence spending rules hits scepticism
  6. Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers
  7. EU summit, Gaza, Ukraine, reforms in focus this WEEK
  8. The present and future dystopia of political micro-targeting ads

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us