Ireland’s Future in the European Union

Ireland’s Future is a civil society group explaining what the Treaty of Lisbon is about, by explaining the facts and fighting misunderstandings.



The Quick Guide – Lisbon 2 and Ireland in the EU (10 June 2009; 28 pages) offers:




Ten Reasons for Supporting Lisbon 2

Why Do We Need the Lisbon Treaty?

Guarantees to Address the Concerns Irish Voters Expressed about the Lisbon Treaty in June 2008

Five Negative Consequences for Ireland of a Second Rejection of the Lisbon Treaty

Ireland’s Economic Recovery Will Be Greatly Helped by a YES to the Second Lisbon Treaty Referendum

The EU is a New and Unique Way of Governing Ourselves

A Strong EU is Vital to a Better Future for Ireland

The 4 Main Reform Provisions of the Lisbon Treaty

Common Misconceptions about the Lisbon Treaty

Irish Neutrality is a Neutrality of Responsibilities

Article 16c of the Lisbon Treaty Places our Values at the Centre of the EU

What Has the EU Done for Me?

About Ireland’s Future.ie




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New developments

The Treaty of Lisbon was agreed between 27 governments. It has been approved by 26 national parliaments.

Since the publication of the Quick Guide, the EU leaders have repeated their assurance that Ireland and all other EU member states will retain a Commissioner, if the Lisbon Treaty enters into force.

In addition, the EU partners have agreed on the detailed guarantees to Ireland, which clarify the meaning of the Lisbon Treaty, in questions where the first referendum campaign sowed doubts about the true meaning.

In these respects, Ireland has achieved a better deal and a clearer deal, even if the text of the Lisbon Treaty remains the same.

This week the Lisbon Treaty was declared compatible with the German Basic Law (Constitution) by the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. In Germany and other member states of the European Union improved scrutiny of European Union affairs will be on the agenda of national parliaments.

The Quick Guide is a comprehensive view of main points of the Lisbon Treaty and especially Irish concerns about its contents. The text is aimed at the general public of voting age, so it is not overly technical.

With the latest developments, an updated version would be an option. At the same time a few linguist errors and some simplistic statements could be corrected. A link to the consolidated version of the Lisbon Treaty would come in handy (and the references could be to the readable version of the amending treaty).


Ralf Grahn

Ireland in Europe: Where is the UCD discussion paper?

The Houses of the Oireachtas, Sub-Committee on Ireland’s Future in the European Union report ‘Ireland’s future in the European Union: Challenges, Issues and Options’ (published 27 November 2008) has led to a spat.

The ‘no’ side accuses the Sub-Committee of not representing the ‘no’ side fairly and of drawing on expert work prepared by the University College Dublin European Institute, said to be pro-EU.

In the foreword Committee Chairman Paschal Donohoe gives tribute to the discussion paper:

“I also wish to thank UCD’s Dublin European Institute for their discussion paper, which made an invaluable contribution to the Sub-Committee’s work.”

Naturally, any political minority is free to accuse the majority of availing itself of expert work, as you can see in today’s Irish newspapers (Irish Times and Irish Independent).

But outside Ireland the reasoning of the UCD European Institute might be of interest due to the contents of the contribution, more than for reasons of partisan bickering.

Since the Lisbon Treaty has been approved by 25 national parliaments, there is great European interest in Ireland’s future role in Europe.

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Help!?

Yesterday and today I have tried in vain to find the European Institute’s discussion paper on the web (and the published Oireachtas report does not include the Annexes mentioned in the Contents).

Since this blog has a number of Irish readers, I turn to them with a question: Can you locate the UCD European Institute’s discussion paper on Ireland’s future in Europe for me and my readers?

Information would be gratefully received, since it would complement the materials mentioned in yesterday’s blog post ‘Ireland and Lisbon Treaty’ as well as earlier entries.




Ralf Grahn