Why should we vote YES to the Lisbon Treaty?

1. Ratification ensures that each country keeps its commissioner. Under the previous Nice Treaty, each country would lose a commissioner to a proposed rotational system to be introduced in 2014. The Lisbon Treaty reverses this decision and provides that any changes to the number of commissioners beyond 2014 must be passed by a unanimous vote by the leaders of each country.

2. The Council of Ministers will meet in public. Up until now, they always met in private.

3. The EU Council will now be allowed to elect a president for a 2 and half year term. This new president won’t have any decision making powers however it will mean that we can put a face to Europe, especially at a global level. Also the country version will run over an 18 month term shared across three countries at a time, replacing the current system where the transition occurs every six months and to a single member.

4. The European Parliament will have new powers to overrule the EU Council’s decisions. The parliament will also now have joint control over the EU budget division. This will ensure greater accountability for the EU’s finances.

5. The Lisbon Treaty sets down concrete rules for new aspiring members (i.e. Turkey, Croatia, Ukraine etc.). Up until now, there were only vague guidelines for countries to adhere to before joining the EU.

6. The ECB will have more powers over its own monetary policy. This further separates politics from monetary issues which will ensure the survivability of the euro currency. Ireland’s membership to the euro currency at the moment is crucial to our own survivability. For instance, the rapid deterioration of the Icelandic currency in 2008 impoverished a once rich nation. If Ireland wasn’t a part of the euro currency in 2009, we possibly could have faced the same fate as Iceland.

7. The Lisbon Treaty gives Ireland (and other countries) opt-out clauses on certain matters. In Ireland’s case, we can opt-out of taxation and military defence directives.

8. The Charter of Fundamental Rights will be enshrined in EU law. This will ensure that all future EU laws are drafted to the highest moral and social standards. This will place the EU as the world leader in this area.

9. National parliaments (i.e. the Irish Dáil and Seanad) will now have 8 weeks to review and scrutinise all proposed EU legislation. A simple majority of national parliaments can scupper a legislative proposal from the commission without any further procedure should they so wish.

10. The Lisbon Treaty allows for the setup of a European Defence Agency. This will allow the EU to intervene in international crisis so that past atrocities in recent times are not repeated (e.g. the genocides in Srebrenica and Rwanda). If Ireland does not wish participate in certain missions because it feels that it may impinge on our neutrality, we have the option to opt-out.

11. A European Culture and Heritage Clause in Lisbon recognizes the influence of Judaeo-Christian tradition on EU laws and procedures. With Western Europes growing Islamic migrant populations, this clause gives legal security against the push for Sharia Law in some mixed-culture states.

12. Enhanced co-operation. This feature allows groups of countries within the EU to proceed with policies that other countries do not wish to participate in (e.g. tax harmonisation).

13. A new citizens’ petition clause in the Lisbon Treaty enables citizens’ groups across Europe to collect 1 million signatures to allow it force a bill efore the EU Parliament.

The Lisbon Treaty offers us a more efficient, transparent and democratic EU.

Please vote YES on 2nd October!

1. It’s a new proposal. Europe has listened to the Irish people, giving new guarantees on all of the main issues from last year. The Treaty is subject to these new guarantees. In over 50 years, the EU has fully honoured all such guarantees.

2. Only a Yes Vote will bring about a Reformed EU to tackle the Economic Crisis. A Union frozen in the past is of no use to anyone, but a Union which is more dynamic and effective is essential for our future.

3. Only a Yes Vote is Good for Investment: 90% of those who invest in Ireland and support hundred of thousands of jobs say that confidence in our position as a Euro-positive country matters a lot for them. Only a Yes will help maintain confidence at this difficult time.

4. Only a Yes Vote Saves Our Commissioner: A No vote means we could lose our Commissioner by November, and along with it we will lose our voice at the EU’s top table. In 2008, 80% of people were concerned about this issue. It has now been addressed.

5. Only a Yes Vote helps tackle Climate Change, insecure Energy Supplies, as well as helps to fight Cross-Border Criminals, Human Traffickers, and Drug Dealers. We cannot fight these problems on our own.

6. Only a Yes Vote is good for Workers and Social Protection: The Treaty gives legal effect to the rights, freedoms and principles as set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

7. Only a Yes Vote ensures a more Democratic and Accountable EU: Lisbon makes a new oversight role for the Oireachtas, and increases the powers of the European Parliament

8. Only a Yes Vote will send a Vital Signal to our EU Partners and to International Investors that we are a Fully Engaged EU Country. The EU is a key part of our path to economic recovery. A more efficient EU is to our benefit.

Is it true that nothing has changed since the last Referendum?

-         No, a lot has changed.  Following the deal agreed between Ireland and the other EU members, a Yes vote is the only way to guarantee that we keep our Commissioner – our voice at the top table of the EU. 

-         Regarding other issues raised by the Irish people over the course of the campaign, our partners in Europe listened, and each of these concerns has been addressed with guarantees. 

-         The guarantees give certainty about what is and is not in the Treaty.  They respond to the concerns raised and they remove any doubt. 

What do the new guarantees involve?

The new guarantees have emerged following a process of presenting the concerns expressed by the Irish people during last year’s referendum.

The European Council has agreed that each Member State will retain a Commissioner and that Ireland will be given legal guarantees in the areas of concern to Irish voters. 

At the June European Council, the 27 EU members signed an international agreement that guaranteed that the Lisbon Treaty does not affect: 

1. Ireland’s right to set our own tax rates. Our 12.5% corporate tax will remain solely our decision.
2. Ireland’s neutrality. There is no European army. There will be no conscription. Any decision to send Irish troops overseas must be passed by the Dáil and the mission must have a UN mandate.
3. Ireland’s right to decide for itself moral issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and issues that effect family life and education.

How can we believe these Guarantees?

These are watertight, cast iron guarantees that have been registered with the UN as a formal international agreement. They will be added to the next EU treaty as protocols. This is the same mechanism that was used to register the Good Friday agreement.

The EU has never reneged on a deal between the member states. It is a system built on trust.  

Some No campaigners say the guarantees are worthless?

 They toured the country last year spending huge amounts of money raising concerns about the Treaty.  Everyone remembers the posters about keeping a Commissioner, saving our tax powers, the right to life, and protecting neutrality. 

 These and other points have been dealt with. We must separate legitimate concerns from those that take issue with Europe as a concept in itself.

What about Workers’ Rights?

The European Council also agreed on a Solemn Declaration on Workers’ Rights which confirms the high importance that the Union attaches to:

-         social progress and the protection of workers’ rights;

-         public services;

-         the responsibility of Member States for the delivery of education and health services;

-         the essential role and wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in providing, commissioning and organising services of general economic interest.