MANIFESTO LAUNCH:THE EUROPEAN Union is the source of less than 30 per cent of Irish laws and regulation – not the 80 per cent figure claimed by Lisbon Treaty opponents, Fine Gael has said.
Since 1992, 588 Acts have been passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas, along with 11,725 statutory instruments.
Just one in five of the Acts made any reference to European legislation, while approximately one-third of the statutory instruments did so.
The percentage of Irish laws influenced by the EU since 1992 is 29.92 per cent – “far off the mythical 80 per cent”, the party’s European Parliament manifesto noted.
Many of the pieces of legislation spurred on by the EU would be required even if Ireland was not in the EU: “We would be passing them anyway from choice. People’s fears are built up not merely by false claims as to numbers, but also by the decisions they are led to believe they should blame the EU for.
“An example is the belief that it was because of the EU that water-charges are to be imposed on schools from 2010, when in fact the reason is because the Government failed to negotiate a derogation,” the manifesto stated.
There are “justifiable fears” that the EU is responsible for “excessive bureaucracy and regulation. Good regulation is vital. Unnecessary regulation is pointless and a waste.
“There is also a sense that in some sectors there is a more stringent and vigorous approach to implementation in Ireland than in some member states,” it noted.
A new independent figure with comparable powers to the Comptroller and Auditor General should be created to make sure that EU directives are introduced into Irish laws and offer public advice.
Fine Gael has proposed that the Constitution should be changed to allow future EU and international treaties to be sent to the Supreme Court after they have been signed by the Government.
The court would then decide which of the elements of a treaty needed to be put to the people in a referendum, which did not and whether any of it contradicted the Constitution.
"Such a mechanism would ensure that we have great clarity on the issues in future referendums," noted the FG document, Securing Irelands Future.
The Government should not stand aside for now from extra policing and legal co-operation in the EU, as it decided to do before the Lisbon Treaty was signed.
“Fine Gael did not support this opt-out at the time as we believe that Ireland should be fully involved in the fight against international crime,” the manifesto states.
“There is increasing evidence of this country being used as a route to import illegal drugs into Europe. The result of this new crime threat can be seen in the violent gangland conflicts in our major cities.”
Emphasising Fine Gael’s membership of the European People’s Party, Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny said the European Parliament will be important even if Lisbon is finally passed.
“Co-decision making with the council will be the norm. It is absolutely critical as a country to have a strong, articulate argument put forward,” he said. Food imported into the European Union must be produced to the same standard as if it was grown, and Irish interests in the World Trade Organisation talks must be protected.
“Europe’s shoppers should be able to know that all foodstuffs available on the shelves are safe and ethically-produced The same set of . . . standards of production, veterinary medicines must be applied when allowing to be sold in the European market,” the manifesto notes.
The plight facing Irish farmers has been overshadowed by the wider economic turmoil, outgoing East MEP, Maireád McGuinness said.
The live export trade is important for the Irish meat business, while the nitrates directive, brought in to protect and preserve water quality, is too bureaucratic.
The “myriad” of agencies monitoring and tracing food should be culled, and replaced by a more transparent, effective structure, the manifesto argues.
