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Diário Económico - Portugal | Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The antidemocratic Irish No

The newspaper Diário Economico puts responsibility for the failure of the EU Reform Treaty squarely on the shoulders of national governments: "It was the governments of the respective EU member states that wanted the Treaty. So anyone who is unhappy with it must address their complaints to Europe's 27 capitals. ... Some are also alleging that the Treaty was deliberately made complicated so Europeans would not understand it. ... The Treaty is muddled ... because no holds were barred in including the interests of all member states. ... Many speak about Ireland's democratic decision, forgetting the democratic decisions of the other countries that ratified the Treaty ... just because no referendums were held there. But the legitimacy of the respective parliaments, as representatives of the people, may not be disregarded. ... If the Irish were to determine the future of the Treaty that will influence millions of EU citizens who did not take part in the Irish referendum, it would represent the biggest travesty of democracy since the fall of the Soviet regime."

» To the complete press review of Tuesday, June 24, 2008

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