Treaty text 'is well-nigh unreadable'

LAWYERS AGAINST LISBON: THE LISBON Treaty represents a continuing development of an EU constitution without adequate democratic participation, according to a group of lawyers opposed to the treaty.

Brendan Nix SC, solicitor Joe Noonan who was an expert witness on foreign and security policy in the Crotty case, John McGuiggan BL and Fergus O’Rourke BL are the signatories of a statement issued yesterday at a Lawyers Against Lisbon press conference. “Most regrettably, Lisbon was deliberately written to further preclude this ,” they said.

“Public opinion in the EU states has not been able to arrive at an informed view on the merits of the treaty because of the way in which it was written. Even to us, as lawyers accustomed to dealing with abstruse documents, the treaty as signed is well-nigh unreadable.

“We recognise that some of this arose from the inherent difficulty of arriving at an agreement, but it is clear beyond dispute that the form in which the treaty was signed was a function of the perceived necessity to disguise . . . some aspects which would cause difficulty, especially for the people of the UK.” The apparent requirement on EU Commission staff to be enthusiasts and proselytisers for the treaty is worrying for an ostensibly democratic entity, the group said.