Irish voters may get a say on EU treaty changes with the country among 15 euro zone states after Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore suggested the State may have to hold a referendum on budgetary reforms.
Mr Gilmore said there was a chance the public may have to vote on handing over economic governance to Brussels to ease the worsening crisis. “That will depend on the content of any treaty change that is proposed,” said Mr Gilmore.
“We have to see what the detail of that will be, what the text of that will be and we will have to get legal advice on it.”
The Tánaiste indicated a treaty change could come into effect as early as next March, depending on the details of a paper published by EU president Herman Van Rompuy ahead of crisis talks in Brussels this Thursday.
Mr Van Rompuy is expected to outline proposals for stricter rules and sanctions governing the euro zone to reassure markets and protect the single currency’s stability. The plan is to toughen euro zone checks and balances - something lawyers say will need treaty change.
Mr Gilmore said the Government would see the paper later today and would have a chance to consider it ahead of the summit.
Further euro zone countries face having their credit ratings downgraded after ratings agency Standard & Poor’s put all but two euro nations on credit watch in a new report.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has called on the Fine Gael-Labour coalition to share the details with all the political parties. “We want a debate on these matters this week and before the Taoiseach leaves,” said Mr Adams. He said his party was opposed to treaty change unless the people have a say in a referendum.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German chancellor Angela Merkel held emergency talks in Paris yesterday, when they renewed calls for EU treaty change.
The leaders said they want changes in all 27 member states if possible - or at least the 17 euro zone countries.
Dr Merkel suggested last week that fiscal union could be on the cards, which would mean stronger governance from the EU and the imposing of stricter budgets to member states.
Mr Adams added: “France and Germany have not been a bit behind the back door on this issue. “They want the treaty change to be about centralising fiscal power and the Taoiseach seems to hint, depending on what day it is, that he’s not against that. He talks about more centralised economic governance. He uses all sorts of buzz words.”
Mr Gilmore told RTÉ the Government has two main objectives when it comes to the euro zone crisis.
“One thing is, in conjunction with all the other member states of the EU and euro zone, to solve the problems in the euro and that needs to be done by decisive action being taken,” the Tánaiste said.
“Secondly, we have to look at our own national interests here, in particular to what can be done in respect of the debt burden that this country has.”
The Tánaiste insisted that the Government is not prioritising its commitment to Europe over Ireland.
“Both go hand in hand,” he said. “The Government has been saying this is not an Irish problem, this is a European problem, the two go hand in hand and we have to work together in a way that ensures that Ireland’s best interests are protected.”
PA