Irish minister says Treaty would secure taxation and neutrality

Ireland will not have its neutrality and tax sovereignty affected if it ratifies the Lisbon Treaty, Irish foreign minister Dermot Ahern TD said on April 17.

Speaking at the Forum on Europe, Mr Ahern welcomed the EU Commission president Jose' Manuel Barroso’s visit to Dublin and said that the Irish national interest would indeed be secured by the Treaty.

He said: “We believe that the Reform Treaty sets up the Union to continue to take the interests of all Member States - large and small - into account.”

“It recognises our common interests while at the same time respecting vital individual national interests, such as taxation and defence in our case, where decisions can only be taken by unanimity.”

His party, Fianna Fail, the largest in Ireland and currently part of the coalition government, is leading the campaign for a Yes vote.

But Patricia McKenna of the People’s Movement, which campaigns against any measures that further develop EU integration, called his statement “false and misleading” and said that Barroso’s visit was a “gross interference by the EU institutions in Ireland’s internal affairs”.

She said: “The visit is not only inappropriate, but clearly designed to give Irish voters a false sense of security in relation to this issue of taxation and the comments by the Commission president are clearly stage managed by PM Bertie Ahern, to reduce concern on one of the most significant aspects of public concern on the Lisbon Treaty.”

The Lisbon Treaty extends qualified majority voting to new policy areas and requires less unanimity votes on issues such as fighting climate change, energy security and emergency humanitarian aid to hot-spots around the globe .

However, unanimity will be retained in areas including tax, foreign policy, defence and social security.

Merkel to promote Treaty in Ireland, as voters remain undecided

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in Dublin on April 14 to discuss the benefits of the Lisbon Treaty, shortly after a national poll had showed that 60 percent of Irish voters are still undecided about whether they will back the paper, which was signed in Lisbon last December.

According to a poll published last week by the Irish Sun, which surveyed about 1,000 Irish people, 28 percent said they would vote in favour, 12 opposed it. Only 6 percent declared they fully understood the changes that the Treaty would bring, whereas 40 percent said they had little undestanding and 25 percent no understanding at all.

Chancellor Merkel, speaking in Dublin, encouraged the voters to approve the Treaty, saying that it would be beneficial "even to sceptics". She assured that there would be no superstate in Europe, and that the new rules were to benefit Europe as a whole, but Ireland and individual states as well.

Irish PM Bertie Ahern, who will leave his post in May to fight allegations of financial irregularities, has backed the Treaty and assured that his country will gain from it. His successor next month has pledged to continue to highlight the benefits of a "yes" vote before the June referendum.

Speaking last week before Merkel's arrival, and ahead of Commission President Barroso's visit to Ireland on April 17, Ahern said: "The number, and stature, of our European visitors this week and next is testimony to our standing in Europe. (...) It is a good time to be Irish. And it is a great time to be an Irish European."

Most politicians support the Treaty, although some organisations are campaigning vigorously against it. One of them, Libertas, speaking about Merkel's and Barroso's visits, has denounced a "foreign interference".

Libertas Chairman Declan Ganley said that their visit "intended to boost support for the Lisbon Treaty" and would be conducted in the "most message-controlled manner possible".Ireland will be the only EU member state to have a referendum on the Treaty, which in the intentions of its makers should simplify the functioning of the EU institutions.

FEATURE: The new European Council President

Last week another potential candidate as European Council President appeared in the news. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern would join other big names for the post, including former British PM Tony Blair, and current EU Commission President Jose’ Manuel Barroso. But do we know exactly what this post is? And what kind of man – or woman – we need to do this job?

The new Presidency is one of the innovations of the late constitution, and has been kept in the Reform Treaty. A politician would be chosen to become President of the European Council - i.e. the EU governments - and would be in charge for two and a half years (renewable for one more term), instead of the current system, which has a rotating presidency changing every six months.

The benefits are clear: it would ensure more continuity to the actions of the Council, and would give a "face" to the EU. It is however still difficult to understand what role he or she will practically play, and in what it will differ from the other newly created post, which many have refused to name as "EU Foreign Minister" but which will be, in practise, very close to that.

Mr Ahern hasn't declared his intention yet, but has a good card to play. If his government succeeds in winning the referendum to pass the Lisbon Treaty, this will give him enough credibility and legitimacy.

Among other candidates, Tony Blair has been supported by French PM Nicolas Sarcozy, but his chances to succeed have decreased. Many politicians don’t think that the post should be given to a country that hasn't joined the Euro, doesn’t take part in the Schenghen agreement and has secured too many opt-outs on the Treaty. An on-line campaign against the nomination of Blair is being carried out.

The other possible candidates include Jose' Manuel Barroso, the head of the EU Commission, but whose mandate ends only in July 2009; Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker, who is backed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and is an experienced EU politician; and Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who wants to reopen the debate in Denmark about joining the Euro.

The game, therefore, is still open, and anyone of these, or someone else, has enough chances to succeed.