Fianna Fail representatives in the European Parliament have voted against the adoption of a report on the enlargement of the European Union because of reservations about a section on the Common Agricultural Policy. However the party's MEPs voted for a series of motion approving the accession of the 12 countries who are currently negotiating for membership.
The report, which was presented by a German MEP, Mr Elmar Brok, on behalf of the European People's Party grouping, was formally adopted last night by a majority of 462 votes to 40.
The report contained a recommendation that the administration of the CAP should become a matter for co-decision between the Council of Ministers and the parliament rather than remaining exclusively with the Council of Ministers.
A spokesman for the six Fianna Fail members said however that the vote was not against enlargement as such and pointed out that the party's MEPs had backed comprehensive and detailed motions supporting the admission of 12 individual countries ranging from Poland to Cyprus.
"The MEPs support the enlargement of the EU but the reform process must be fair and balanced," the Fianna Fail spokesman said.
The Fine Gael MEP for Leinster, Mrs Avril Doyle said a vote against the non-binding report "would have caused the greatest crisis in the history of European integration". She was "shocked" by the action of the Fianna Fail MEPs: "This must be deeply embarrassing to the Irish Government, who have invested considerable effort in supporting the enlargement process and in cultivating close relations with the applicant countries."
Mrs Doyle added: "Apparently the negative vote is being justified on the basis that in this non-binding report adopted by [the European] Parliament there is a reference to bringing agriculture within the co-decision procedure between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament."
However, most of the legislation relating to agriculture was already subject to co-decision, she said.