Ireland delivers stunning blow to Europe's leaders
· Result threatens Lisbon treaty
· EU to hold crisis talks next week
- The Guardian,
- Saturday June 14 2008
- Article history
The long campaign to forge a new dispensation for the European Union descended into panic and uncertainty yesterday when Ireland turned its back on its 26 EU partners and voted down the Lisbon Treaty.
EU leaders in Brussels and governments across the union, particularly Germany and France, were stunned by the Irish verdict, which amounted to a huge vote of no confidence in the way the EU is run.
The referendum in Ireland was the sole popular vote in the EU on the grand plan to give Europe a sitting president and foreign minister, and reconfigure the way the EU is governed. The result left the project severely wounded, perhaps fatally.
The Irish voted by a 7% margin, 53.6 to 46.4, against the treaty, which has already been ratified by 18 EU countries and is expected to be endorsed by the other eight.
The result left Europe's leaders with a giant dilemma over what to do next. A summit next week in Brussels was originally planned as a celebration. The Irish result is particularly painful for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who masterminded the new treaty last year, and for the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was relishing the central role of ushering in a new European era over the next six months of France's EU presidency.
Berlin and Paris moved swiftly last night to try to limit the damage, pressing Downing Street, according to sources in Brussels, not to make matters worse by abandoning Britain's ratification of the treaty, now in its final stages in the Lords.
Merkel and Sarkozy issued a joint statement, urging all other EU countries to ratify the document and declaring that the reforms envisaged by the treaty remained essential. Gordon Brown was said to have reassured both governments that he had no intention of scrapping ratification.
"It is the height of arrogance for Gordon Brown to press ahead with ratifying this treaty, flying in the face of public opinion," said the Tory leader, David Cameron. "The elites in Brussels have got to listen to people in Europe who do not want these endless constitutions and treaties."
The pressure on Britain indicated that Germany and France still hope to salvage the treaty, although it was not clear how since it has to be ratified by all 27 EU countries to take effect.
"It's not a Doomsday scenario. Everything now depends on next week's European Council [summit]," said a diplomat in Brussels.
José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said: "The no vote in Ireland has not solved the problems which the Lisbon Treaty is designed to solve. The ratification process is made up of 27 national processes; 18 member states have already approved the treaty, and the commission believes the remaining ratifications should continue to take their course. I believe the treaty is alive."
Everything suggested that Europe's key leaders were urgently conferring on a scheme to steamroller their blueprint through despite the Irish rejection, a course likely to trigger protest from Eurosceptics and deepen Europe's democratic legitimacy problems.
At the very least, the deadlines for implementing the treaty looked difficult to achieve. The new regime was to be in place by January 1 2009, to be up and running before European parliament elections next May and the appointment of a new European Commission in October.
The treaty was backed by nine out of 10 MPs in the Irish Dáil and all the main political parties, except Sinn Féin, but the government of Brian Cowen, in office for only a few weeks, was felt to have run a complacent and lacklustre yes campaign. An odd and well-funded coalition of anti-European forces stole the headlines.
"You don't say yes to something you don't understand," said Hugo Brady, a analyst at the Centre for European Reform thinktank.
The no vote was boosted by concerns over sovereignty, possible tax harmonisation, neutrality, and fears that the treaty could erode Ireland's abortion ban, all issues that analysts say are fatuous.
Europe struggles to keep reform plans alive after Irish reject treaty
By John Lichfield in Paris and Vanessa Mock in Brussels
Saturday, 14 June 2008
Political leaders across Europe were trying desperately last night to keep EU reform plans on track after Irish voters overwhelmingly rejected the Lisbon Treaty.
The French and German governments led calls for the other 26 EU nations to push ahead regardless with the ratification of the treaty. But senior officials in Brussels accepted that – unless Ireland could be persuaded to stage a second referendum next year – seven years of painful negotiations to simplify and streamline the governance of the EU had come to nothing.
The European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, called on the Irish government to suggest possible "solutions" at an EU summit in Brussels next week. He said: "I believe the treaty is alive. Eighteen member states have already approved the treaty and the European Commission believes that the remaining ratifications should continue."
However, another senior European commissioner, speaking off the record, said: "There will be no repeat vote in Ireland. That means the treaty is dead. It's part of a general disenchantment with the EU. We would have had similar results if there had been referendums in other European Union states."
A group of countries, led by France, which assumes the EU presidency next month, is expected to try to minimise the importance of the Irish "no" vote. If other countries ratify the treaty, they argue privately, Ireland will be obliged to have a second vote.
Other countries could agree on declarations, they say, guaranteeing respect for Irish neutrality, or on Ireland's low business tax status. The Irish electorate might then in a second referendum vote "yes" as they did with the Nice Treaty in October 2002.
And if Ireland refuses? Legally, the new treaty must be ratified by all 27 member states to come into force. Officials in some capitals, notably Berlin, argue that Ireland, with 4 million people, is too small to be allowed to hold up the plans of governments representing almost 500 million people. Dublin would have to be bullied into accepting some kind of semi-detached European status, like that of Norway.
Officials in Brussels said they doubted whether that could work. In any case, they said, why should Ireland be menaced with de facto expulsion when France and the Netherlands escaped any threat after their popular "no" votes in 2005? Besides, the officials said, it would be dangerous to ride rough-shod over a popular vote.
EU capitals are confronted with a depressing conundrum. The peoples of the European Union – even those who have manifestly benefited from the enterprise such as the French and the Dutch and now the Irish – feel threatened, rather than inspired or protected, by their membership of the enlarged EU.
The Lisbon Treaty is not, as sometimes claimed, a blueprint for a federal united states of Europe. In some respects, it buried that idea for ever. The treaty is an absurdly complex attempt to try to make an absurdly complex system, designed for six countries, work better – or simply work – with 27 countries.
In truth, officials recognised, EU governments have only four options.
First, they can agree to renegotiate the treaty (again) to take account of the Irish electorate's disparate objections. This is practically a non-runner.
Second, they can press ahead with their own ratification processes. When 26 countries have signed up, they can turn to Ireland and ask for a second referendum. A few rhetorical concessions could be made to Dublin in annexes or declarations. Third, Ireland, as the only non-signatory, can be asked to leave the EU.
Fourth, the EU can forget the whole thing (for now) and continue with its existing rules.
There will be some voices – maybe including British ones – suggesting that the EU should now concentrate on practical problems which directly concern its citizens – climate, globalisation, immigration, terrorism – rather than continue to argue about itself.
This may be the de facto outcome, whatever governments say in the next days and weeks. Whether the old EU rules will permit any progress to be made on practical issues is open to doubt.
Brown vows to press on
Gordon Brown will reject pressure to halt the passage of the Lisbon Treaty through Parliament following Ireland's rejection of the blueprint.
The Irish "no" vote provides a headache for Mr Brown, who has adopted a low-key approach to ratifying the treaty in an attempt to avoid alienating public opinion and Britain's Eurosceptic newspapers.
Ironically, his "softly softly" approach had almost worked. The Bill implementing the reform of EU institutions is due to complete its passage through Parliament next week. But the Europe issue reignited again yesterday as the Tories and Liberal Democrats urged the Government to think again.
But ministers said the European Union (Amendment) Bill would receive its Third Reading in the Lords next Wednesday, and will receive Royal Assent.
What is The Lisbon Treaty?
*The Lisbon Treaty would replace the aborted draft constitution voted down by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
*The 50-article charter contains a list of well-established rights, including freedom of speech and religion. Britain and Poland obtained opt-outs.
*The EU would get a president and a foreign policy chief to control the EU's aid budget and its extensive network of diplomats and civil servants.
*The European Commission would be cut from 27 members to 18 as of 2014. Commissioners would be selected on a rotation system among the states, and will sit for five-year terms.
*The European Parliament would win more power to influence or reject EU legislation. MEPs capped at 751 members from the current 785.
*To streamline decision making for 27 states, decisions would be taken by majority rather than unanimous voting in 50 new areas including judicial and police co-operation; Britain and Ireland had negotiated opt-outs in these.
Britain presses on with Lisbon ratification
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Search globrix.com to buy or rent UK property.
© Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
Il trattato di LIsbona in crisi
Tremonti: da Irlanda segnale di paura
Il ministro dopo la vittoria dei no: «È un messaggio irrazionale». Sarkozy:«Il processo deve continuare»
ROMA - Il ministro dell'Economia, Giulio Tremonti, non nasconde la sua preoccupazione per la bocciatura, con un referendum, del Trattato di Lisbona da parte dell'Irlanda. «È un messaggio dei cittadini, i popoli ci trasmettono segnali di paura e di incertezza - ha detto al termine della riunione del G8 di Osaka -. Si può dire che questo non è razionale, ma riceviamo un messaggio e dobbiamo agire perché sono segni di difficoltà alla tenuta democratica».
SEGNALE IRRAZIONALE - «Il mercato finanziario è importante - ha aggiunto Tremonti - ma la stabilità politica è più importante per il mercato. Su questo hanno convenuto più o meno tutti i ministri». Quello dell'Irlanda, è un voto «molto forte, che viene dalle aree più popolari, da un paese beneficiario dell'Europa. È un segnale irrazionale e proprio per questo pericoloso». Bisogna cambiare schemi di valutazione, secondo Tremonti, «occorrono modelli diversi, che non sono quelli degli illuminati che dovrebbero lasciare la scena per limiti d'età».
«DA ITALIA NESSUNA ESITAZIONE» - L'Italia, dal canto suo, dovrebbe fare la sua parte nel dare una spinta al processo di integrazione. Ne è convinto l'ex ministro dell'Interno, Beppe Pisanu, oggi senatore del Pdl: «La ratifica immediata del Trattato è la sola risposta che si può dare al voto tanto rispettabile quanto ingrato di 800 mila irlandesi. Se questa è ancora l'Italia di De Gasperi e Spinelli, il Parlamento non può avere la benchè minima esitazione».
SARKOZY: «ANDARE AVANTI» - «L' incidente del no irlandese non deve diventare una crisi - è invece l'opinione del presidente francese, Nicolas Sarkozy, espressa nel corso della conferenza stampa congiunta al termine della visita in Francia di George W. Bush -, e nello stesso tempo deve spingerci a riflettere insieme sul modo in cui viene portata avanti la politica europea». Il processo di ratifica del Trattato di Lisbona, secondo il capo dell'Eliseo, «deve continuare». «Molti europei - ha spiegato Sarkozy, che dal primo luglio assumerà la presidenza dell'Ue - non comprendono come si sta costruendo l'Europa. Occorre essere più efficaci sulla vita quotidiana dei cittadini». Sarkozy ha citato, in particolare, la questione dell' immigrazione e dell'aumento del costo del petrolio.
STEINMEIER: «ANCHE SENZA IRLANDA» - Un invito a non lasciarsi prendere dallo sconforto arriva anche dalla Germania, secondo cui l'Ue potrà portare avanti il processo di integrazione nonostante il no irlandese. «La questione è se l'Irlanda potrà, per un certo periodo, aprire la strada a un'integrazione degli altri 26 Stati membri», ha spiegato il ministro degli Esteri tedesco, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a margine di una visita in Cina. Steinmeier ha spiegato che i ministri degli Esteri ne discuteranno lunedì a Lussemburgo per risolvere una questione complessa sotto il profilo giuridico. Berlino ha definito «un duro colpo» per l'integrazione la vittoria del no nel referendum in Irlanda, ma ha invitato gli altri Stati membri a portare avanti il processo di ratifica. Venerdì, in un comunicato congiunto, la Germania e la Francia hanno ricordato che 18 stati membri hanno già ratificato il Trattato, auspicando che il processo continui: «Noi ci aspettiamo, quindi, che gli altri stati membri portino avanti il loro processo di ratifica interno».
NON CI SARA' IL BIS - Resta però da vedere cosa succederà ora in Irlanda. Secondo il sottosegretario responsabile per l'Integrazione, Conor Lenihan, intervenuto sull'emittente Rte, è improbabile che agli elettori irlandesi venga chiesto di pronunciarsi una seconda volta sul Trattato di Lisbona, dopo la vittoria del no Lenihan ha parlato di un'Irlanda «estremamente isolata» in Europa, perchè unica a pronunciarsi contro il Trattato e ha detto di non poter escludere la possibilitá di indire una nuova votazione, ma poi ha voluto mettere in guardia contro il rischio di danni ancora maggiori per il Trattato in caso di un'ipotetica seconda votazione.
No comments:
Post a Comment