Republican News · Thursday 30 May 2002

Decision on Nice must be respected

Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South Central, Aengus Ó Snodaigh has described reports that the EU Commission is looking to bypass the Treaty of Nice as "clear evidence of the democratic deficit within the European Union".

"The attitude of the European Commission following our rejection of the Nice Treaty epitomises why we voted no in the first place," said Ó Snodaigh.

"The EU Commission needs to consider the reasons why the Irish people rejected Nice. We rejected it because of the threat it poses to our neutrality, our sovereignty, our right to an EU Commissioner and because it would relegate this state to a second tier within Europe.

"Sinn Féin supports the enlargement of the EU but the Nice Treaty is about changing the structures of the EU. Recent moves are attempts to bully the Irish electorate. They will not succeed."

Ó Snodaigh has also rejected John Bruton's assertion last week that Ireland will be treated as a "problem child in Europe" if we reject any future rerun of the Treaty of Nice referendum.The Sinn Féin TD also described the level of debate engaged in by the pro-treaty parties around the central issues as contemptible.

" Instead of tackling the central issues of concern, John Bruton's Fine Gael and others have sought to cajole the electorate into supporting this flawed Treaty with threats and bribery," he ssaid. "If Mr Bruton has learned anything from the election campaign it is that he can not take the electorate for granted. Mr Bruton's time in Europe would be better spent ensuring that the Irish people's right to reject this treaty is respected and demanding that our concerns are listened to and acted upon."