Dublin in talks with EU capitals to retain commissioner
LEIGH PHILLIPS
18.11.2008 @ 09:27 CET
The Irish foreign minister, Micheal Martin has said that Dublin is in talks with other European capitals to see if the retention of a commissioner for each member state is viable - a key concern of No voters in the June referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Mr Martin made the announcement on Monday (17 November) speaking to Irish public broadcaster RTE.
While abortion and gay marriage figured prominently amongst election literature, voters had other concerns about the treaty (Photo: EUobserver.com)
"We've had a number of discussions over the last couple of weeks, and those discussions are ongoing and have intensified in recent times," he said.
Talks have looked at a range of issues, such as abortion, neutrality and taxation.
The question of Ireland's traditional neutrality, which No campaigners argued was under threat from a growing militarisation of the European Union was one of the main reasons people voted No, according to a post-referendum commission poll. Taxation figured equally prominently according to the Eurobarometer survey, as did the loss of a commissioner.
Abortion however did not figure prominently amongst people's concerns, being the reason for casting a ballot against the Lisbon Treaty for just two percent of No voters.
The loss of a commissioner Mr Martin highlighted as one of the more significant points of discussion with other member states.
An Irish Times survey on Monday said that 43 percent the Irish would now vote Yes if the EU executive retained its current 27 commissioners.
"Clearly the issue of a commissioner almost signified what people perceived to be a loss of influence at the table, despite the fact that one has ministers at the table and civil servants at the table at different levels. So therefore we are in discussions on that specific issue."
"It's not a simple issue and is not one that can easily be wished away or dealt with, but nonetheless we're in discussions on it because I think it was a significant issue and encapsulates as it does the whole idea of people being at the table with additional influence being bought to bear collectively," he said.
The foreign minister said on Sunday (16 November) that the Irish government would make a decision on whether to hold a second referendum on the treaty in the next few weeks.
"Before we make any decision as to what particular option we might take I think it is important that all of these issues are dealt with in the context of the discussions with our European colleagues," he said.
"Because if you recall when other countries had similar situations like our own, going back to the Danes in the early 90s and the French and the Dutch, other European member states and the commission engaged with those respective countries and managed to come up with solutions to their particular concerns."
"We're in the same process here. People have raised concerns on all of these issues and I think it is our obligation to see if we can find ways of satisfying the concerns of people and reconciling them through getting assurances," he said.
The No side were quick to argue that voters concerns went well beyond those outlined by the government and that declarations alongside the same treaty text were insufficient to change minds.
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Lisbon campaign director for Sinn Fein, the sole major political party to oppose the EU documen, said in a statement: "The government needs to go to December's [EU] summit with the firm intent of negotiating a better deal that includes a social progress clause for workers, strengthening of key vetoes on public services, taxation and international trade, the removal of all self amending clauses ... secure vetoes on all aspects of common foreign and defence policies, and the retention of Ireland's permanent commissioner."
"Obtaining declarations on a small number of issues that the government alone perceives as central to the No vote will not be enough," he added.
Declan Ganley, who headed up the Libertas group, one of the main organisations behind the No vote, rubbished the idea that declarations had any legal weight.
"Not a jot or tittle - not a comma - of the text of Lisbon can be changed, for otherwise it would be legally a new treaty which would have to go around all 27 EU States for ratification again."
"The declarations referred to in the [Irish Times] opinion poll question are different from protocols in that they are not legally part of a Treaty," he added.
"Protocols are legally part of a treaty. There will be no protocols for Ireland over Lisbon, for that would be to reopen the Lisbon Treaty and would require all 27 EU States to ratify the new protocol, which would in effect be a new treaty."
