Lisbon – vote ’Yes’

A Yes vote is a vote for jobs, growth and investment in Ireland, says Seán Ó Neachtain, MEP for the North West

‘Yes’ vote
Seán ÓNeachtain
MEP

I strongly believe that it is in the future economic and political interests of the people of County Mayo and the people of Ireland that the EU Lisbon Reform Treaty is ratified.
This Treaty is about ensuring that the EU institutions reform how they will take decisions into the future so as to ensure that the European Union becomes more effective and more efficient in how it will carry out its business into the future. A more effective European Union will help to ensure that the EU can bring forward new laws which will help to develop the European economy to a stronger extent. The ratification of this Treaty will guarantee that the EU will be able to address new problems such as climate change and the security of energy supplies in a more structured manner. No one country alone can tackle all these problems on their own.
Under this Treaty, a new President of the European Council will be appointed. This person will seek to co-ordinate the political work of EU Governments at a European level in a more streamlined manner.
A new EU Foreign Policy representative will be appointed and this person will be the voice for the European Union on the international stage. Under this Treaty, decisions in the field of foreign affairs issues will still have to be taken with the unanimous agreement of all 27 EU member states.
National parliaments will be centrally involved in the EU legislative process for the first time.
The EU Charter for Fundamental Rights will become part of EU law. This Treaty sets out the rights of EU citizens, such as the right to a fair trial but this charter does not extend any new powers to the EU institutions.
Thirty-three new powers will be given to the EU Council (which represents the governments of Europe) and to the European Parliament. These new powers focus on giving the EU a stronger role to bring forward new laws so as to combat illegal drug importations into the EU and tackle organised crime. We live in an internal market, comprising 27 different states and a population of over 500 million people, with a system of free movement of persons. Of course, EU member states must work more closely together so that the scourge of the international drug barons is defeated.
From 2014, representation on the European Commission will be reformed. But Ireland, Cyprus and Malta will have exactly the same rights of representation on the European Commission post 2014 as Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Britain.
The European Union only has the power that the EU treaties gives it. The EU cannot set out tax rates, it cannot decide our laws on abortion, it does not decide our citizenship laws and it does not run our education, health and social services departments and it cannot change our laws on neutrality. Irish neutrality is in the hands of the Irish people and that is where it will be staying at all times.
The European Union is still a very strong supporter of the Common Agricultural Policy. The farmers of County Mayo still benefit substantially from CAP transfers and will continue to do so into the future. Since our accession in 1973 Ireland has received over €40 billion from the European Union to fund agriculture.  The European Union is at present carrying out a review into the operation of the Common Agricultural Policy for the period 2008-2013. During that period Ireland can expect to receive approximately €12 billion from the CAP. The review will be completed next December under the French Presidency of the EU.
I am delighted with last week’s announcements from the IFA and the ICMSA that they now fully support the Treaty thanks to the Taoiseach’s commitment to use our veto to stop cuts under the WTO negotiations. IFA President Padraig Walshe has secured a strong recommendation from his County Executive structure and 950 branches nationwide and he has called for a Yes vote from farm families and rural Ireland and a strong turnout in the Referendum on June 12.
The farming community and rural Ireland can be assured by the Taoiseach’s statement on the veto that the WTO deal on the table in Geneva is not acceptable to Ireland and that any agreement in the future must not undermine our agriculture interests.
The European Union is the greatest peace project in the world. Not only has the EU brought peace to the continent of Europe, it has also played a key role in ensuring that peace has been brought to the island of Ireland. Since 1995 alone, the European Union has provided over x1.65 billion in financial support to help implement new economic and social programmes in County Mayo, in the border counties region and in Northern Ireland.
The EU is the world’s largest trading block, consisting of a market of almost 500 million people with annual exports from Ireland of €56.6 billion. Ireland continues to win a significant share of all global Foreign Direct Investment coming to Europe. Mayo has benefited from companies such as Allergan, Baxter and Hollister. One of the crucial factors for attracting such business is the accessibility of this EU market.
This treaty is a good deal for Ireland and it is a good deal for Europe. Ireland’s future is best served as an active, leading and respected member of the European Union. Membership of the EU has been one of the key reasons why we secure new investment into our country. A vote for this Treaty is a vote for jobs, growth and investment. I urge you to vote Yes for this very important EU treaty.