The Fate of Europe: Lisbon and Ireland

There were many things that I noticed as different and new my first day here in Dublin.  The weather, for one, was so different from that of the hot, dry, stifling Central Valley, or that of sunny, sea breeze-swept Santa Barbara. Cars are driven here on the left side of the road, ice tea is nowhere to be found, and I, aged twenty, was able to drink legally. But what struck me the most were the political posters. I soon learned that on October 2nd of this year, Ireland will vote on the Lisbon Treaty for the second time, with massive implications for the future of Ireland, the European Union, and Europe itself.

Now, my fellow Americans out there are probably wondering, “What exactly is this Lisbon Treaty anyways?”.  The answer you get depends on who you ask. Wikipedia, that ever-impartial, infallible, and omniscient spring of knowledge, says the following:

“The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007 that would change the workings of the European Union (EU). The treaty has not been ratified by all EU member states. The treaty would amend the Treaty on European Union (TEU, Maastricht; 1992) and the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC, Rome; 1957). In the process, TEC is renamed to Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Prominent changes include more qualified majority voting in the EU Council, increased involvement of the European Parliament in the legislative process through extended codecision with the EU Council, eliminating the pillar system, preventing the provision in the Treaty of Nice (2001) reducing the number of commissioners, and the creation of a President of the European Council with a term of two and half years and a High Representative for Foreign Affairs to present a united position on EU policies. If ratified, the Treaty of Lisbon would also make the Union’s human rights charter, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, legally binding, which some in Ireland fear couldlead to legalization of abortion and euthanasia in Ireland.

The stated aim of the treaty is “to complete the process started by the Treaty of Amsterdam [1997] and by the Treaty of Nice with a view to enhancing the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the Union and to improving the coherence of its action.” Opponents of the Treaty of Lisbon, such as the British think-tank Open Europe and former Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde, argue that it will centralise the EU,[2] and weaken democracy by moving power away from national electorates.”

The Pro-Lisbon answer is that it’s just a simplification of previous European Union treaties signed by the member states; “It’s nothing to be scared of, just housekeeping and streamlining of things”. The anti-Lisbon side, however, argues that the ratification of the treaty would begin an irreversible process that would gradually strip the member states of their sovereignty; replace nationally-accountable democratically-elected leaders and parliaments with distant, unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats; and pave the way for the creation of a super-federal European state.

I’ve discussed the treaty with some locals, most of them close to my age, and many expressed some fear that a “no” vote would result in serious reprocussions for Ireland. Others have said that they “owe it” to the EU for all the projects in Ireland that it’s financed, and that, as one bloke said to me in a pub, because Ireland has to “play ball” with the EU. To that I say, “bollocks”.  If Ireland fails to ratify the treaty, they will not be kicked out of the EU.  They will still be able to borrow from European banks, they’ll still benefit from EU-funded projects, they’ll still be using the Euro, Irish citizens will still be able to travel with ease to other EU member nations, and EU citizens will still be able to travel to Ireland.  What’s more, they would not be alone in their rejection of Lisbon:  the French and Dutch people would have rejected the treaty, and French president Sarkozy has admitted that.  While I doubt that as many as”95%  of Europeans” would vote no, as Irish EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has claimed (a quote that the anti-Lisbon Treaty Coir campaign has used on their posters), I agree that the majority of Europeans would reject Lisbon, but they can’t.  Their governments are not letting them, either going right over their heads and approving the treaty, or promising a referendum (as former English Prime Minister Tony Blair did), and then not holding them; of course, that particular instance might no longer apply, if Ireland rejects Lisbon and the Conservatives in England gain the majority in Parliament.  Truly, it is up to Ireland to stand up for what is best not just for itself, but for the people of Europe, and for democracy itself.

The only conceivable reason for Irish voters to vote yes would be to keep a commissioner for Ireland.  However, under Lisbon, Ireland wouldn’t even have a permanent commissioner, and considering the downsides of the treaty, for both Ireland and for Europe as a whole, that’s a small price to pay.

The threat of Brussels imposing taxes on its member states (Article 311 TFEU), is one of the best reasons to vote against Lisbon.  The pro-Lisbon side will say, “Oh, but Ireland will retain the right to veto taxes!”  Yes, it would, until they lose that right under Article 48 of the Treaty, or under the Treaty’s “flexibility clause” (Article 352), and such changes could be done without a referendum.  The Lisbon treaty would give the EU the power to impose fines on member states for budgetary and financial reasons, would grant the bureaucrats in Brussels power over direct foreign investment, which has been a big source of prosperity for Ireland.

From the Anti-Lisbon Libertas campaign website:

“France has said that it is committed to “harmonising” taxes in the EU – this means that we could have to pay the same rates of tax as them. Low taxes have been great for Ireland and have played a big part in attracting investment. In April 2008 Christine Legarde, the French Finance Minister, referring to the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCTB), was quoted by the European Commission as saying that ‘this is one area that they are determined to push’. After Ireland voted No to the Lisbon Treaty last June, Ms. Legarde told the Financial Times that tax harmonisation is still ‘on the agenda’. Referring to Irelands No vote, she said ‘The landscape has slightly modified because of good old Ireland….the imperatives are the same’ (Financial Times – June 18).

Article 113 of the Treaty says that the Council of Ministers “shall” act unanimously to achieve the harmonisation of turnover and other taxes and prevent “distortion of competition”. If they fail due to our veto or our so-called ‘guarantees’, the EU court could step in.”

In short, the Lisbon treaty strips Ireland, and all its member states, of their sovereignty.  As a woman I saw on O’Connell Street in Dublin said, it’s not about Ireland’s membership in the EU, it’s about the shape of the future EU will take; if passed, the EU will take the shape of a vast, undemocratic bureaucracy, completely unaccountable to the electorate, with the power to override the decisions of the peoples and national governments of the EU member states.

Under the Lisbon Treaty, Ireland’s weight in the European Parliament will be cut by 66%, while Germany’s will be increased by 110%.  Britain, Germany, France, and Italy will, just by themselves, have nearly 50% of the vote in the Parliament, even though they are just four of the 27 member states of the European Union.  Ireland will lose 60% of its voting powers in the Council of Ministers, while Germany will gain 100%.  And, under Lisbon, Ireland would only have an EU Commissioner for 66% of the time.

Now, let me make meaning of that for those of you who don’t know the intricacies of European Union politics.  The EU Parliament has 750 members, out of which Ireland has twelve. The Parliament is more or less worthless.  It cannot propose or approve of laws. It can make proposals for amendments to laws, but not without approval from the Council or the Commission.  The only thing they really can do is block a law, and only with an absolute majority of more than half of 750 votes. The European Commission and the Council of Minister are the real power players.  The European Commission is composed of unelected officials appointed by their respective countries. They must take an oath when they’re sworn in to represent the Commission first, and not the interests the countries they represent.  The Commission has the monopoly on proposing EU legislation, and the Council of Ministers has the job of making the laws based on the proposal s of the European Commission. One doesn’t need to be a political science major to see how undemocratic this all is.

As it now stands, Friday is the day of the big vote, and the polls show the Yes side winning. To be fair though, none of the polls I’ve seen have asked more than a thousand voters, and all the polls showed the Yes side winning last time.  But I’m still worried. This treaty is bad for Ireland, bad for all the member states of the EU.  If approved, the irreversibly process of stripping away the sovereignty of the nations of Europe. Just to reiterate, nothing will happen to Ireland if they say “no” to this, and they won’t be the only nation doing so. The Czech President has yet to grant his assent to the treaty, and has stated that he will not do so until all the other member states approve. Ireland will not be alone in rejecting Lisbon, the Irish people, and the Irish people alone, can decide the future of all of Europe. It is my hope and my prayer that they will do what they did the first time, and say “No” to Lisbon!

4 Responses to “The Fate of Europe: Lisbon and Ireland”

1. Siegfried says:

   September 29, 2009 at 11:06 am

   I hope it fails as well, if for nothing other than foiling Brussels’ “keep voting until you give us the answer we want” tactics against the unconvinced.
2. Felix Staratschek says:

   September 29, 2009 at 2:59 pm

   Pleace vote for democracy and against the treaty of lisbon

   Dear irish people!

   Pleace stop the treaty of lisbon! Is is antidemocartic, militaristic, antisocial. The disadvantages are much bigger, than the advantages. The EU can live with its actuell laws. They should only be changed into a democratic direction. With the treaty of lisbon, the european council is able to change this treaty in great parts without asking the parliament. This is nearly the same law, which mades the nationl- rassistic- party of Germany so powerfull in our country in the year 1933. Our basic law (the german constitution) and all other european constitutions should not be replaced by the treaty of lisbon. But the new treaty tries to bring all right- sytstems in a lower level than the new european right. Here is my informationpage: http://sites.google.com/site/euradevormwald/english . When you have some more english information, pleace send me a link or text or write it into the visitors book of my page. And pleace spread this text all over Ireland.

   In the hope in your activities for a better Europe, Felix Staratschek, Freiligrathstr. 2, D- 42477 Radevormwald (Germany)
3. Nate Pearce says:

   September 30, 2009 at 2:25 am

   I’ve no problem with harmonising taxes in the E.U – the french get an awful lot more for their increased taxes. However, if we are going to standardise taxes, we should standardise everything. An excellent example is the gaming industry – where various E.U countries have laws ranging from the most liberal to the harshest! Check here for more info!
4. peter in dublin says:

   September 30, 2009 at 4:25 am

   The question is too:
   Will the rest of Europe really accept a second no from Ireland…

   Several are saying they’ll go their own way, not let Ireland stop them – and it is to some extent understandable, although the initial position called for everyone’s agreement.

   In such a case, what’s left for Ireland?
   That’s right, yet another vote…

   For those who don’t know the ’story’ behind this vote…

   A Bedtime Story for all Nice Children and not so Maastricht Adults

   http://ceolas.net/#eu7x

   The Happy Family

   Once upon a time there was a family treaty-ing themselves to a visit in Lisbon.
   On the sunny day that it was they decided to go out together.
   Everyone had to agree on what they would do.
   “So”, said Daddy Brusselsprout “Let’s all go for a picnic!”
   “No”, said Aunt Erin, “I don’t want to”.
   Did they then think of something else, that they might indeed agree on?
   Oh yes they did?
   Oh no they didn’t!
   Daddy Brusselsprout asked all the others anyway, isolating Erin, and then asked her if instead, she would like to go with them to the park and eat out of a lunch basket….

   Kids, we’ll finish this story tomorrow, and remember, in the EU yes means yes and no means yes as well!
   .