It was time to go back to the drawing board and the rejection of the Nice Treaty had created an opportunity to build "a Europe of equals", the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, said in Dublin last night.
He told the Institute of European Affairs it was time to build a European Union that would act in the interests of all. "There is no doubt in my mind that now more than ever there is a pressing need to create a dynamic international dimension in Europe that acts on the common challenges facing us all, whether they be humanitarian, social, environmental or economic. The validity and development of the diverse cultures within the EU is also one of those challenges."
When the electorate rejected the Treaty of Nice, the Government was under a clear obligation to implement that decision. "But the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have not implemented the decision of the people and have not respected their democratically expressed will. The Government has not requested the other EU states to halt the process of ratification of the Nice Treaty, nor has it notified them officially that the legislative process to implement Nice has effectively halted."
Sinn Féin wanted to see economic power and control retained in the country. "We want to bring real power back to the people of the island economy, not cede it to a new union. We believe that vesting our economic future in the hands of the European Central Bank and removing our ability to control the growth of the economy will not work in the interests of the people of this island." During the referendum debate those who supported the treaty claimed that the campaign for a No vote was opposed to the entry of applicant countries into the EU. He said nothing could be further from the truth, especially where Sinn Féin was concerned.
"When this State joined the then EEC, the process of economic integration was in reality only beginning and we joined on the same terms as the existing states. There was a power of veto and every member had at least one commissioner. There was no majority voting, no enhanced co-operation, no economic and monetary union, even though the 1971 Werner Report had mapped out the principles of the single currency. Yes, there were the growing tentacles of the unelected EU bureaucracy, but not on the scale experienced today.
"Another key area of concern is the ongoing militarisation of the EU and the impact of this on our neutrality. This Government's U-turn on NATO's Partnership for Peace was followed by its commitment of troops to the Rapid Reaction Force - the core of an EU army.
"The Nice Treaty is attempting to further develop the common foreign, security and defence policies of the EU and has clear implications for neutrality and the pursuit of an independent foreign policy. Support for the EU armaments industry was written into the treaty.
"It is worth remembering that the EU's Rapid Reaction Force will have 80,000 combat-ready troops and 250,000 personnel in total ready to enforce EU foreign and security policies, not just within the EU or on its borders but up to 2,500 miles outside the EU.
"This is not some kind of Red Cross. It is an army designed for war, an army to impose by force the interests of the EU or an elite within it," Mr Adams said.