Ireland's EU Commissioner position is uncertain after voters rejected the Lisbon Treaty, the Taoiseach told the Dail today.
Brian Cowen was answering questions on the issue from opposition leaders as he prepares to face EU leaders in Brussels in Thursday.
Mr Cowen said that No campaign posters such as 'Vote No — Keep Your Commissioner' were misleading and had no legal basis. Ireland and other EU states would retain a Commissioner for ten out of every 15 years under the Lisbon Treaty.
But Mr Cowen said today: "The one thing we are sure is that there is a stronger Treaty provision for losing our Commissioner than if you voted Yes. That's one thing we know.
"But of course that argument was put a different way for other purposes. But that is the position."
Earlier this afternoon the Taoiseach told the Dáil that the No vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum meant that Ireland was now in "uncertain and uncharted" territory.
Mr Cowen said there was now a need to deal in “a calm and constructive manner” with the fallout from the Lisbon vote.
In response to a question from Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, he said the No result meant Ireland was now in an uncertain situation and that he would consult with other EU members to hear their concerns. The Taoiseach added he could not predict the outcome of talks and did not expect the issue to be resolved soon.
The Taoiseach said that in a "spirit of solidarity”, all EU member states had indicated they wanted to enter a process of dialogue and consultation, but he warned there was “no plan B or plan C”. Mr Cowen said he would urge all Ireland's European partners to reflect on the referendum result.
He said there was a need to avoid a “hasty conclusion" on a document that he noted was seven years in the making, “requiring compromises on all sides”. According to Mr Cowen, the No vote is a “reality that has to be accommodated” and now was a time to assess and take stock.
Mr Cowen said that the reasons for the No vote would be assessed to see if concerns over the Lisbon treaty could be addressed, but he stated there were "a range of reasons" for the vote, and that some of these were contradictory.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that the threat of a two-speed Europe was a serious problem that Mr Cowen had to deal with. He also declared there was a disconnect between people and Government over Europe and its workings due to the way EU law and directives were implemented in Ireland.
The Taoiseach said that attempting to ensure the EU is seen as relevant and having a direct effect on people's lives is an ongoing issue that is not confined to Ireland.
Mr Cowen told the Dáil that his first priority at the EU council meeting on Thursday would be to tell other European leaders that Ireland wished to remain fully engaged within the EU and part of its processes despite the referendum result.
He added that no decisions would be taken at the EU summit, and that no meetings had taken place between the Government and the European Council.
During another question, Mr Kenny said although he meant no disrespect to the "eminent" members of the Referendum Commission, there were a "number of moments that didn't help the campaign in terms of the explanation and its objectivity" during the campaign.
But Mr Cowen said the commission had “acquitted itself well” during the campaign, and that its objectivity was never in question. The Taoiseach expressed his desire not to engage in any criticism of the body.
The Dáil is to sit another week in July to compensate for being in recess last week to allow parties to complete campaigning for the Lisbon Treaty.
Meanwhile, Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa said the EU might offer concessions to Ireland to persuade it to accept the reform treaty.
Asked about opt-out possibilities like the ones given to Denmark and Britain, the only two EU members not obliged to adopt the euro currency, said: "It is possible in the future, although it is only one of the possibilities".
He said it was almost certain nothing concrete would happen at the European Council, before a detailed analysis of why the referendum was rejected was carried out.
Yesterday EU foreign ministers insisted the treaty was "still alive", but assured Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin that this did not mean Ireland would be excluded from the union.
Ministers from the eight EU member states that have yet to ratify the treaty signalled they would continue this process despite the Irish No vote. France and Germany, which both threatened to isolate Ireland in the wake of last week's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, softened their public stance, saying that the Irish No was not just an Irish problem.
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said Paris respected the Irish vote. "We are all Irish," he said. "It's a European matter and it is not an Irish matter."
Mr Martin told journalists no one had pointed the finger of blame at Ireland and there was a spirit of solidarity at the EU meeting, which was held behind closed doors in Luxembourg.
Mr Cowen also discussed the implications of the referendum result with the British prime minister, Gordon Brown, in the margins of their meeting with US president George Bush in Belfast yesterday.
European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said yesterday Ireland would not be bullied by other European Union member states following the Lisbon Treaty rejection.
(Additional reporting by PA)
