Amsterdam Treaty draft to meet key Irish concerns

SUBSTANTIAL reassurance is provided for Ireland on three key areas of concern in the final draft of the Amsterdam Treaty issued here last night by the Dutch presidency. But the Dutch have retained a proposal to merge the EU with the Western European Union, likely to prove to be the main preoccupation of the Irish delegation at the EU summit next Monday and Tuesday.

The text, whose final shape has to be thrashed out at the summit, secures for the time being the right of each country to a commissioner and makes a substantial advance in recognising Irish concerns over the integration of the Schenge Treaty on passport free travel into the EU Treaty.

It also copperfastens the right of the Commission to fund projects in the fields, of employment and social exclusion.

Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission, Mr Jacques Santer, emerging from meetings in Paris yesterday with the new Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, and President Jacques Chirac, said he believed "all elements are on the table to reach an agreement" on the Stability Pact at the summit.

France said on Monday it could support the Stability Pact, agreed in Dublin, only if it was accompanied by a beefing up of EU economic co ordination, particularly on jobs. The pact, which is not part of the treaty, sets out how financial discipline will be maintained by countries once the euro is launched. The summit was supposed to simply nod through ratification of the legal text.

Mr Jospin said following his meeting with Mr Santer: "We are moving forward. What we are saying does not only concern France, but the European countries as a whole. I believe our concerns have been understood."

Dublin's concern that its involvement in some of the Schengen Treaty's provisions could be blocked by a single member state has been met - now a qualified majority would be required to block it. "For practical purposes it would be extremely difficult to block participation," a Senior Dutch diplomat said.

While much of the draft treaty reflects Irish ambitions, broadly sympathetic to greater integration, it goes well beyond what the British have, indicated they can accept. It is likely that Britain will oppose the draft's ambition to give the Union's institutions a major role in areas like immigration policy and border controls.