THE CONCERNS that led the Irish people to vote No to the Lisbon Treaty last year have been addressed by the legal guarantees approved at the European Council in Brussels yesterday, according to Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
He told a press conference after the summit that the referendum was likely to be held in the first week of October.
Mr Cowen said he wanted to go through the procedure of consulting his Cabinet colleagues and bringing the necessary legislation into the Dáil before announcing the date.
He added that he was very confident the outcome of the summit provided a platform to get a Yes vote and expressed the view that many of the arguments made during the last campaign were bogus.
“We came here with two aims. Ireland wanted firm legal guarantees. We got them. We wanted a commitment to a protocol. We got that,” said the Taoiseach.
“I am delighted to be able to say to you now that we have had an entirely successful European Council. The outcome is of huge significance for Ireland and for the union.”
Mr Cowen said he wanted to acknowledge the spirit of solidarity shown to Ireland by its EU partners at the meeting.
“Together we have agreed a package of legally binding guarantees that respond positively and decisively to the concerns of the Irish people,” said Mr Cowen, who pointed out that there was already an agreement that each state would keep an EU commissioner.
“Now we have an agreement that legally binding guarantees will be incorporated in a protocol to be attached to the EU treaties after the entry into force of Lisbon.
“The doubts that were raised about certain issues have been clarified and put to rest once and for all,” he said.
Mr Cowen added that the guarantees made it crystal clear that: Ireland remains in control of its own tax rates; Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality is unaffected by the treaty; and the protections in the Irish constitution on the right to life, education and the family are not in any way affected by the Lisbon Treaty.
He added that a solemn declaration making clear the importance of workers’ rights and public services to the EU had already been agreed.
“It is 12 months since the Irish people voted No. During that year the world has been plunged into an unprecedented recession. The global economy has been rocked by a banking crisis. Millions of hard-working people across the world have lost their jobs and we’ve seen the tragedy of unemployment rising daily in our own country,” he said.
The Taoiseach stressed that the European Union was the means by which Ireland made a meaningful impact on the wider world and the Lisbon Treaty would equip the union to deal with an unpredictable future.
“Some countries like Ireland can not afford to go it along. Membership of the European Union enables us to shape issues with global impact and it provides us with stability in difficult periods, such as that we are currently experiencing.”
He added that the deal concluded at the summit showed the EU at its best, listening to members states big and small and arriving at a consensus.
“Since last June our overriding objective has been to address the concerns expressed by the people last year and to ensure that Ireland continues to pursue our interests from the heart of the European Union.
“We have got the response we wanted. We are guaranteed that we can keep an Irish commissioner.
“We have reaffirmed the importance of workers’ rights and social policy and we have cast-iron legal guarantees on taxation, neutrality and ethical issues.”
Mr Cowen said he was confident he now had a solid basis to go to the Irish people and ask them again for their approval to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.
“I am looking forward to a mature debate about the treaty, free of scares, myths and misinformation which marred last year’s campaign.
“The EU is central to our future. It is the platform for much of our prosperity and it is essential for very many of our jobs. Ireland’s place is at its heart: that is where we plan to remain,” he said.