Former taoiseach John Bruton today called for a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty.
The now EU ambassador to the United States claimed the Republic’s influence in Brussels has been weakened since the reform deal was rejected.
Mr Bruton also told an Oireachtas sub-committee discussing the resulting fall-out that the United States was completely baffled by the No vote.
“I’d favour a second referendum because a lot of people did say they didn’t understand the Treaty,” he said.
The ex Fine Gael leader, based in Washington DC, said the timing of a second poll was a matter for those living in the country. He also called for the Oireachtas to pass legislation setting out the requirements for a referendum on an EU treaty.
“The reaction to the Lisbon Treaty rejection in the United States that I found was one of complete bafflement,” added Mr Bruton.
“Americans just couldn’t understand how Ireland which was portrayed to them and in fact was Europe’s number one success story would not once but twice reject a European treaty.”
The former taoiseach, who served in office from 1994 to 1997, said it was impossible to tell if the no vote would have any impact on US investment, but warned examples would come when it was too late to do anything about them.
“You’ll only have examples . . . when it’s too late, when you’ve already lost a project.”
He said Ireland would now be seen as a problem country in Europe thereby weakening its influence.
“If you’re a problem country, it’s hard to be a leader country,” he said. “If you’re perceived as contributing to the European Union’s success, then you have more influence. ”If you’re perceived as holding back the rest of the European Union from doing things that it wants to do, then you would have less influence.“
The 12-member sub-committee is tasked with analysing the challenges facing Ireland following the Lisbon Treaty referendum result and considering Ireland’s future in the EU.
Mr Bruton said Ireland had been left out of an EU-wide committee to look at the fall-out from Lisbon and a recently set-up committee on cross-border banking.
Mr Bruton also said the stability of the euro would have been strengthened by a Yes vote. “Ireland may have problems at the moment, but it hasn’t got the problems that Iceland has because we’re in the euro and they’re not,” he said.
EU reform was plunged into uncertainty when the Lisbon Treaty was rejected by 53 per cent to 47 per cent by the electorate on June 13th.
PA