'No Lisbon role' on abortion, defence

The Referendum Commission has today repeated that the Lisbon Treaty does not affect Irish laws on abortion, taxation and defence as it unveiled its information campaign ahead of the October 2nd referendum.

The independent body set up to explain the treaty said assurances attached to the charter were legally watertight and although guarantees covering abortion, tax and defence gave voters extra clarity, the issues had not been in the treaty to begin with.

High Court judge Mr Justice Frank Clarke, chairman, said the assurances, agreed with European leaders last December to address Irish concerns, did not change the treaty. “They certainly are legally binding,” Mr Justice Clarke said.

“They will be legally binding as an international treaty straight away and they will have the added status of being part of the EU treaties whenever there’s a chance to do that.

"We have seen that since the vote on the treaty last year, the European Council has set out the effects of the Lisbon Treaty on Irish laws and policies on the issues of abortion, taxation and defence. These statements from the council have been referred to as assurances or guarantees and say essentially that nothing in the Lisbon Treaty will affect Ireland's laws on these issues," he said.

"The Referendum Commission said the same thing last year and is happy to do so again."

He also moved to clarify suggestions the treaty would slash the minimum wage. “As far as the claim that Lisbon has anything to do with the minimum wage is concerned, there is a simple answer to that. It hasn’t,” he said.

Mr Justice Clarke said research carried out by the commission showed knowledge of the treaty among voters had improved. As the campaign began last year just 21 per cent of people had a sound knowledge, which increased to 44 per cent on polling day June 12th and surged to 60 per cent at the start of this summer.

The senior judge said the boost could be explained by the television and media coverage of the treaty and the debates about the guarantees.

He said the campaign may have suffered last year because too much emphasis was placed on issues not in the treaty. “And perhaps that got everything sidetracked from what I think is the important issue of explaining what actually is in there.”

Mr Justice Clarke noted the commission's role was to explain the content of the treaty "rather than comment on claims being made about the political consequences of a Yes or No vote".

He added: "For example I have heard people on the Yes side claim that a rejection of the treaty will cause economic damage to Ireland in the future. I have heard people on the No side claim that ratification of the treaty will open the door to an erosion of workers' rights as they currently exist. Nothing in the treaty explicitly addresses these issues, and so it is for the people, and not the commission, to assess these matters."

The commission has produced a guide that highlights the main points of the treaty and explains the main proposed changes to the way in which the EU is run and to how it makes decisions. The document, which will be distributed to 1.9 million homes, also outlines issues that were important to some voters during the last campaign and explains the effect, if any, the treaty would have on those issues.

A more detailed guide can also be found online at www.lisbontreaty2009.ie or by calling the commission's phone line 1890 270970.

The Referendum Commission said there would be an "extensive and informative" advertising campaign comprising a combination of television, radio, press, outdoor and online coverage.

The commission's website also provides a guide to the treaty, as well as information on how to check the voting register and how to register to vote. Last week, the body called on on people to check the electoral register and, if needed, to use the late registration facility which is available up to September 15th.

Mr Justice Clarke also said he believed the commission needed more than the 11-week period that had been allotted to it to carry out its work.

The five-person panel was set up in early July by Minister for the Environment John Gormley. Other members are Dáil clerk Kieran Coughlan, Seanad clerk Deirdre Lane, Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly and the Comptroller and Auditor General John Buckley.

Additional reporting PA