MINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has poured cold water over the claim by European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet that countries who consistently flout European budget rules should be deprived of their EU voting rights.
Saying Mr Trichet’s suggestion would lead the EU into protracted talks on the reform of European treaties, the Minister said there was plenty of scope within the existing legal framework to sanction governments who refuse to uphold the rulebook.
Although any treaty change would have to be put to a referendum in Ireland, the Minister said it was not the case that the Government’s opposition to the suspension of voting rights was not rooted in fear of the electorate.
“To suspend someone’s voting rights is a very fundamental thing and I think you have to be very, very careful advancing that idea,” he told reporters. “It goes against the very heart of what the EU is meant to be about in terms of consensus, consultation, agreement.
“However, there’s a balance here to be struck in terms of responsibility and obligations of member states on the one hand and the democratic nature of engagement in the EU, the way the architecture is created.”
The Government’s position is supported by many other member states. But it is at odds with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany, whose administration has long favoured proposals similar to those of Mr Trichet.
However, Mr Martin said Germany had no great problem with the Government position and was fully supportive of its efforts to stabilise the economy and the Irish banking sector.
His German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, reiterated such support during his visit to Dublin this week, Mr Martin said. “It’s very reassuring . . . I’ve met Guido twice now. I met him in April in Germany. He was very supportive and encouraging in terms of the measures we have been taking. And likewise in the last week, and he expressed confidence in the Government’s approach – and that is important.”
Mr Martin was speaking in Brussels at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, at which they agreed in principle to provide trade concessions to the Pakistani textile sector to help it confront the flooding crisis.