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29th Mar 2024

Irish prime minister defends EU constitution

Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern has spoken out against picking and choosing parts of the EU constitution saying it risks unravelling if member states simply take out the bits they like best.

"This finely balanced package, once unravelled, will be impossible to put together again", the Irish leader told European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels on Wednesday (8 November).

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  • Bertie Ahern - remembering the heady days of 2004 when he secured a political consensus on the EU constitution? (Photo: Council of the European Union)

His words hark back to Ireland's time at the helm of the EU in 2004 when it was up to Mr Ahern to bang political heads together to forge consensus on the document – something he managed to do only at the 11th hour and after criss-crossing the bloc several times to negotiate with his fellow leaders.

"A complete renegotiation or the agreement of a truncated treaty would mark a serious reverse for the union. If agreement could be reached on a different treaty, it would almost certainly represent a step back from the 2004 text," said Mr Ahern.

His words follow a September suggestion by the centre-right hopeful for the French presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy, that the constitution be reduced to a mini-treaty.

They also reflect the fact that the document has recently started moving up the political agenda once again after almost a year of silence following its rejection in two referendums.

Mr Sarkozy was the first to break the silence in a major way but his suggestion appears to have sparked as much division as support with Germany, Estonia and now Ireland indicating they are against the proposals but with Italy having spoken in favour of a similar idea.

Justice veto

Meanwhile in Brussels, despite exchanging words of mutual admiration with Mr Barroso, Mr Ahern indicated Dublin would not drop its resistance to further EU powers in the criminal justice field.

The commission is pushing member states to use a treaty short cut whereby if all national governments agree, future decisions in this area would be taken by qualified majority rather than unanimity.

It has upped the pressure recently arguing it is the only effective way for the EU to carry out its anti-terror agenda effectively.

Speaking about more coherency and efficiency, Mr Barroso said it was Brussels' "duty to fight for it."

Mr Ahern, whose country along with Germany has been the most ardent opponent of the move, said Dublin had played a "very forward role" in moving on legislation in the justice and security area.

He added that Ireland had done as much as it can and as much as its own constitution allows, adding that after that subsidiarity applies – the principle that the EU should not act in areas where decisions are better taken at the regional level.

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