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Mr Sarkozy takes over the EU’s rotating presidency in July and will be tasked with resurrecting, for a second time, Lisbon Treaty proposals first contained in the European Constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters three years ago.
Diplomats and officials have no intention of letting the Irish no vote sink a blueprint to boost the EU’s powers on the international stage and to create a President of Europe.
Gordon Brown phoned Paris to promise Mr Sarkozy that Britain will ignore Ireland and continue parliamentary ratification of the EU Treaty. Britain formally ratified the Lisbon Treaty on July 16th 2008.
Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the French Europe Minister, hinted that Paris already has a legal “fix”, such as plans revealed in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, to keep the EU Treaty alive.
“The most important thing is that the ratification process must continue in the other countries and then we shall see with the Irish what type of legal arrangement could be found,” he said.
“We must remain within the framework of the Lisbon treaty.”
Eight countries are still engaged in parliamentary ratification of the Treaty but are expected to have finished, without any upsets by the autumn.
Plans to find a “mechanism” keeping Ireland within the EU but temporarily outside the Lisbon Treaty will then be tabled at an October or December meeting of Europe’s leaders.
“Ireland must not stop the process of getting the Treaty through. Then we can take stock,” said a diplomat close to negotiations.
Brian Cowen, the Irish Taoiseach, is expected to support the calls for ratification to continue in other countries and to plead that Ireland is not left behind.
There are advanced plans in Brussels for a “bridging mechanism” to allow Ireland to be removed from the list of signatories to the Lisbon Treaty after the EU’s 26 other member states have ratified it.’
Ireland will continue to remain in the euro and be covered by existing Treaties but will be left out of the creation of an EU president and foreign minister, which would proceed as planned.
By late 2009 or early 2010, when Croatia joins the EU, an amending “Accession Treaty” will be signed by all members including Dublin.
Incorporated into it would be a series of protocol texts giving paper “opt-outs” on controversial Irish EU issues, such as taxation powers or greater military co-operation.
Ireland, like the rest of the Europe, does not hold referendums on EU enlargement treaties and with new protocol opt-outs Dublin may get the Treaty past the Irish parliament without another popular vote.
Source:
By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels
13th June 2008 Telegraph
Filed under: lisbon treaty | Tagged: France, Ireland, July 12th Referendum, Lisbon Referendum, President Nicholas Sarkozy, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Taoiseach Brian Cowan
