Ireland faces the steady erosion of its neutrality, the increased transfer of power to anti-democratic institutions in Europe and further anxieties over environment protection if the electorate ratifies the Amsterdam Treaty on May 22nd, according to the Green Party.
As the party began its campaign for a No vote in next month's poll, the Green MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, and two ail deputies TDs, Mr Trevor Sargent and Mr John Gormley, yesterday strongly argued that the treaty would drag Ireland into a militarised Europe which would compromise our neutrality and non-nuclear status.
Mr Gormley said developments within the EU were destroying Ireland's policy of neutrality and ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty would assist this process. Ireland had moved from the co-ordination of foreign policy, in the Single European Act, to a point in the Amsterdam Treaty where Irish combat forces would participate in "peacemaking" missions alongside the nuclear-based Western European Union.
"Peacemaking" was a euphemism for making war, he said. If the result of the referendum was positive, Irish troops could be involved in combat missions alongside the WEU.
The Green Party had recently attempted, unsuccessfully, to amend the Amsterdam referendum wording which says the State may ratify the treaty. His party wanted to add the words: "This ratification shall not compromise this State's policy of military neutrality."
If neutrality would not be affected by the Amsterdam Treaty, "why then could they not accept our amendment?", he asked.
Ms McKenna warned that difficulties would arise regarding the control of Europol, the European police force to develop joint investigative and operational actions with the national police forces of member-states. Europol employees would enjoy immunity from prosecution and could collect data on a range of people, not just criminals.
If ratified, the treaty would also undermine the role of national parliaments by two of the most powerful EU institutions - the Commission and the Council of Ministers.
"Neither of these institutions is elected by the people. Power is being transferred up along ever more complex EU organisations and away from sovereign governments and local communities. The workings of the EU will remain deeply secretive if the treaty is ratified. Not even the European Parliament will be entitled to receive the minutes of council meetings at which final decisions are made," Mr Gormley said.
Saying that the treaty copperfastened the control of big business interests over the socially excluded and marginalised, Mr Sargent said that in spite of all the "hype" over social exclusion, it failed to mention the word "unemployment".
While the inclusion of an employment chapter was welcome, 18 million or 11 per cent of the EU's active population were officially unemployed, half for more than one year. The treaty held no commitment to full employment, he said.
With all the main political parties in Leinster House supporting ratification, Mr Gormley said he would put his faith in the Referendum Commission to inform the public of both sides of the argument.
The party is deeply critical of the Government decision to hold the referendum alongside the vote on the Northern Ireland Agreement.