Ireland and Lisbon Treaty

In Ireland the Government, the Parliament and the expert community have been busy at work trying to find a solution to the Lisbon Treaty predicament.

Declan Ganley is as busy trying to kill the Lisbon Treaty, which by now has been approved by 25 EU member states’ parliaments.

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Government

Ahead of the December European Council, the Irish Government is now close to internal agreement on how to proceed with the Lisbon Treaty, reports Deaglán de Bréadún in the Irish Times (28 November 2008): Government to seek ‘binding declarations’ in Lisbon rerun. See:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/1128/1227825379933.html

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Parliament

Yesterday, 27 November 2008, the Lisbon Treaty subcommittee of the Oireachtas Joint Committee European Affairs issued its report Ireland’s future in the European Union: Challenges, Issues and Options.

The intention is to hold a parliamentary debate before the European Council in December.

The subcommittee wants to strike a balance between keeping Ireland at the heart of Europe and respecting the democratic will of the Irish people, by extracting concessions from the other EU member states.

The Irish Parliament’s report is available at (Word document):

http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=10475

For a condensed view of the matter, see Deaglán de Bréadún’s article Oireachtas group says main option is amended treaty (Irish Times, 28 November 2008):

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1128/1227825379896.html?via=rel

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Expert community

About two weeks before this, on 14 November 2008, the Institute of International and European Affairs (Dublin, Ireland) published its report: Ireland’s Future after Lisbon – Issues, Options, Implications.

The IIEA’s report is downloadable at:

http://www.iiea.com/publicationxtest.php?publication_id=38

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Declan Ganley

Declan Ganley, the founder of anti-Lisbon campaign group Libertas, said that the only action that would cause him to rethink launching Libertas on the EU stage was if Taoiseach Brian Cowen told fellow EU leaders next month Lisbon was dead.

Source:

Jamie Smyth: Ganley’s Brussels office opens for business (Irish Times, 27 November 2008):

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1127/1227739034156.html

Libertas tries to qualify for public campaign contributions at European level.

Jamie Smyth: Libertas applies for European political party funds (Irish Times, 27 November 2008):

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1127/1227739034172.html


Ralf Grahn