endlessvista
04-01-2009, 02:59 PM
EU just gets more and more facistic.
Second No vote‘ would isolate Ireland’
Sunday, January 04, 2009 By Niamh Connolly Political Correspondent
If Ireland rejects the Lisbon Treaty for a second time, the EU will take it as a signal that the country ‘‘wants to distance itself’’ from the rest of Europe, according to the European Commission’s highest-ranking official.
Irishwoman Catherine Day, secretary general of the commission, said a second No vote in Ireland would have serious consequences. ‘‘It is not something I even want to think about, because the enormity of that would be unbelievable,” she said.
‘‘If the assurances have been given [on issues of concern to voters] and the vote is No, we cannot conclude anything but that people are saying they don’t want to be at the heart of Europe. I hope and believe that is not the case, as the other 26 member states have made it clear they’re going to ratify.”
A second referendum on the treaty is expected to take place in October, as the government has received assurances on some key issues. However, Day said many of the issues that were the subject of additional guarantees were not directly linked to the treaty’s provisions.
‘‘On the issue of taxation, it is very important to make clear that there is no change in the Lisbon Treaty,” she said. Guarantees on issues such as abortion and neutrality gave ‘‘that added guarantee to reassure people . . . that they know their voice has been listened to and they haven’t been brushed aside’’, she said.
A commitment has also been given that every member state will retain its own commissioner. Day rejected suggestions that some commissioners could find their roles watered down under the new arrangement.
‘‘We have 27 commissioners and they’re all pretty fully employed,” she said. ‘‘The argument was that 2 7 commissioners were not needed, but we can make it work with 27.That means the portfolio has to be divided in a way that makes sure there is a balanced distribution of work.
‘‘It’s possible to give commissioners more of a representational role than they had in the past. This will depend on the personality - some have better communications skills than others. But there are different roles to be played which could involve explaining the role of the EU.”
Day said the global economic uncertainty - as well as the recent Georgia-Russia conflict - had convinced most EU member states of the need for a stronger representation in the world and a permanent EU president ‘‘to face the challenges of the future’’.
Second No vote‘ would isolate Ireland’
Sunday, January 04, 2009 By Niamh Connolly Political Correspondent
If Ireland rejects the Lisbon Treaty for a second time, the EU will take it as a signal that the country ‘‘wants to distance itself’’ from the rest of Europe, according to the European Commission’s highest-ranking official.
Irishwoman Catherine Day, secretary general of the commission, said a second No vote in Ireland would have serious consequences. ‘‘It is not something I even want to think about, because the enormity of that would be unbelievable,” she said.
‘‘If the assurances have been given [on issues of concern to voters] and the vote is No, we cannot conclude anything but that people are saying they don’t want to be at the heart of Europe. I hope and believe that is not the case, as the other 26 member states have made it clear they’re going to ratify.”
A second referendum on the treaty is expected to take place in October, as the government has received assurances on some key issues. However, Day said many of the issues that were the subject of additional guarantees were not directly linked to the treaty’s provisions.
‘‘On the issue of taxation, it is very important to make clear that there is no change in the Lisbon Treaty,” she said. Guarantees on issues such as abortion and neutrality gave ‘‘that added guarantee to reassure people . . . that they know their voice has been listened to and they haven’t been brushed aside’’, she said.
A commitment has also been given that every member state will retain its own commissioner. Day rejected suggestions that some commissioners could find their roles watered down under the new arrangement.
‘‘We have 27 commissioners and they’re all pretty fully employed,” she said. ‘‘The argument was that 2 7 commissioners were not needed, but we can make it work with 27.That means the portfolio has to be divided in a way that makes sure there is a balanced distribution of work.
‘‘It’s possible to give commissioners more of a representational role than they had in the past. This will depend on the personality - some have better communications skills than others. But there are different roles to be played which could involve explaining the role of the EU.”
Day said the global economic uncertainty - as well as the recent Georgia-Russia conflict - had convinced most EU member states of the need for a stronger representation in the world and a permanent EU president ‘‘to face the challenges of the future’’.