Main focus of Monday, June 9, 2008

The endangered Treaty of Lisbon

Opinion polls put the Eurosceptics ahead in Ireland's upcoming referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. Europe's press looks at the reasons and consequences of a possible victory for the No vote.

The Irish Times - Ireland

A rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon in the Irish referendum "would precipitate a major European crisis", writes John Palmer. "The main beneficiaries are likely to be the far right xenophobes, racists and euro-sceptics - Irish and European. ... There is no plan C on a desk in Brussels designed to avert a truly serious crisis in the entire European project. ... It is not entirely clear that a No vote would - in the longer run - leave Ireland's EU membership itself unaffected. ... An Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty would give a massive boost to the euro-sceptic British Conservative party - which seems increasingly likely to form the government in London. An Irish No will strengthen the Tory determination to renegotiate some key aspects of Britain's EU membership." (09/06/2008)

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All available articles from » John Palmer

Corriere della Sera - Italy

For Franco Venturini, the EU's main problem is that Eastern Enlargement took place before institutional reform: "The EU had two years to recover from the defeat [of the European constitution] in 2005. In 2007 the Treaty of Lisbon was created, which is even weaker and more imprecise than its predecessor. ... Now fears are growing that the referendum will torpedo the European vessel. ... The No side and the large group of non-voters are moved by irrational fears. ... The absurdity of putting an immeasurable enlargement before institutional reform - instead of the reverse, which would have been only logical - threatens to put Europe right back in the Fallen State it was in in 2004. A No from Dublin would have the immediate effect of calling into question the parliamentary ratifications in England and Poland. Europe would be menaced with shipwreck. But would a Yes from Ireland really change things? Can Europe go on if it is afraid of the votes of its citizens?" (09/06/2008)

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All available articles from » Franco Venturini

Le Monde - France

Green Member of the European Parliament Daniel Cohn-Bendit sees the reasons for the threatened rejection of the the EU Reform Treaty in the egoism of individual states. "We live in societies that are driven by a logic of egoism. ... The Irish have got everything from Europe yet they are not aware of it. ... It seems we Europeans are not able to explain to other people what we are doing. ... If the Irish No wins out, [the EU] will have to once more address the question of how Europe is to function, and whether one state should be able to veto the Union's political decisions." (07/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Ireland, » Europe
All available articles from » Daniel Cohn-Bendit

El País - Spain

Facing the prospect of rejection of the EU Treaty the daily argues in favour of a two-speed Europe: "If the Irish do not want the Treaty, no one can force it on them. ... The question is whether the Irish can force the rest of Europe to reject a treaty it really does want. Unanimity ... is not only unacceptable from a democratic point of view, it also comes at a huge price because it renders the EU incapable of developing and adjusting to the future in that it requires 27 ratifications every time a detail in the treaty needs amending. What is the alternative? That the treaty enters force in those countries that want it, provided they account for more than two-thirds or three-quarters of the states and of the EU's population." (09/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Ireland, » Europe
All available articles from » José Ignacio Torreblanca

Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland

The Polish daily speaks out in favour of the right to hold referendums in all EU states: "From the perspective of the EU as a whole, it is unfair that a small nation of four million will decide the future of almost half a billion people. ... The only instrument for exerting direct influence on Europe is the referendum, regardless of the risks it entails. Sadly, only few have been granted the right to use this medium to express their will on key issues for the EU. This must be changed; people must be offered the possibility of direct involvement in decisions on those issues which are most important to them. Referendums are still risky. Had they been held in the past, no doubt there would be no euro and no EU enlargement. But in the 21st century we must recognise that the old method of doing things 'under the table', behind the backs of citizens, is no longer acceptable. ... The inability to convince people of the correctness of their decisions is one of the great weaknesses of Europe's elites." (09/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Ireland, » Europe
All available articles from » Jacek Pawlicki

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