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Thu 11 Nov 2008Ireland urged to ratify treaty and enable EU growth
EU ENLARGEMENT commissioner Olli Rehn has asked the Irish people to ratify the Lisbon Treaty to enable Croatia and other countries in the western Balkans to join the EU.
He made the appeal as he published the commission's annual report on enlargement, which predicted that Croatia could conclude its accession talks with Brussels next year. "We need the Lisbon Treaty now . . . to make the EU function better and give us a stronger voice in the world to defend European values and our citizens' interests," said Mr Rehn, who added he hoped EU states would not use the Irish No to delay Croatia's accession.
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