Ahern to brief EU ministers on Treaty

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern will today update his EU counterparts on Ireland’s preparations for the Lisbon Treaty…

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern will today update his EU counterparts on Ireland’s preparations for the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

Speaking ahead of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Slovenia, Mr Ahern said he believes Irish voters will send out a strong signal of support for the  charter. 

"Many of the Union's more recent members from this part of Europe look to Ireland as a template for what they hope to achieve within the Union," he said.

"They see our transformation from one of the poorest to one of the most prosperous members of the Union as an example of what a country can do to transform itself within the single market.

"I believe the Irish voters will send out a strong signal of support for the Reform treaty which will allow the European Union to operate more efficiently and effectively."

The Government has yet to announce a date for the vote although  Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is believed to favour holding it on Thursday, June 12th.

The two-day meeting in Slovenia will also discuss the Western Balkans, the Middle East, EU relations with Russia and external energy security.

Slovenia, which joined the EU in 2004, currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-state bloc. Mr Ahern said Ireland's membership of the EU had helped it contribute Defence Forces and Garda personnel to peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and elsewhere.