Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Dublin agrees wording for EU treaty referendum bill

The Irish government on Tuesday (26 February) agreed the wording for the EU treaty referendum bill, with the text especially crafted to allay fears that the country's traditional neutrality will be undermined by the new EU document.

The Irish Times reports that the wording will include a reference to the prohibition on Irish participation in an EU common defence force.

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  • Ireland voted no to the Nice treaty in 2001 and then voted yes the following year (Photo: EUobserver)

"The proposed legislation reflects principles that the Irish people hold dear and that the government views as vital for Ireland," said Irish foreign minister Dermot Ahern, referring to 28th amendment of the constitution bill.

The text of the bill is expected to be published in the coming days. It also includes wording on the parliament's greater role in EU decision-making.

Meanwhile the actual date of the referendum remains unclear, but Prime Minister Bertie Ahern indicated it is likely to be in June.

"We hope to ratify in parliament probably in April and then we will take it to the people which will probably be in June," he said during a visit to Slovenia on Tuesday.

The neutrality clause reflects the government's attempts to avoid a repeat of what happened during Ireland's ratification of the Nice Treaty.

In 2001, Irish voters rejected the treaty after a heated debate on a variety of issues including on whether the treaty would undermine neutrality.

The government, also under Bertie Ahern at the time, scrambled to limit the damage by securing a statement guaranteeing Ireland's neutrality from EU leaders before putting the treaty back to a referendum a year later where Irish voters then voted yes.

This time around, as the only country to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, Dublin is under strong pressure to secure a yes vote, with the EU hoping to put a line under institutional reform for some years to come.

European leaders do not want a repeat of 2005, when French and Dutch voters rejected the EU constitution – a document containing most of the same elements.

However, the majority of Irish voters remain undecided on the treaty and the government's fear is that this, coupled with a low voter turn out, could lead to a no vote.

In addition, an ongoing financial scandal involving the prime minister may lead to the referendum turning into a vote a of confidence in Mr Ahern.

Certain sections of the population are also using the treaty for leverage on particular issues.

Irish farmers have suggested they will find difficult to come out and support the Lisbon treaty if there world trade talks lead to disadvantages for Irish beef farmers.

The EU is currently engaged in global trade talks with other partners seeking farm concessions from the 27-nation bloc in order for a deal to be struck.

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