Ratifying Lisbon would help Ireland with EU

IRELAND’S “TARNISHED” reputation within the EU and the wider world could be redeemed if it ratified the Lisbon Treaty, secretary general of the European Commission Catherine Day has said.

Ireland had lost influence in the EU because of the No vote, and there was no willingness from other member states to change the treaty to accommodate Ireland, Ms Day warned an Oireachtas European Affairs committee yesterday.

She reminded the committee that Ireland had benefited immensely from EU membership and had powers and weight it would never have outside the union.

“Whatever remote chance a biggish country has on its own, a small country like Ireland has absolutely no chance.”

Ireland also “punched far beyond our weight” in terms of representation on the European Commission, she said, and it was ironic that the ratification of the treaty would have protected Ireland’s commission representation.

“If we are seen as semi-detached and less enthusiastic, if that is called into question, then our reputation would be diminished.” She did not believe in scaremongering, but once confidence in a country was called into question it was hard to rebuild that confidence, she said.

“I believe Ireland’s image in the EU and beyond has been tarnished by the No vote. It has reduced our ability to shape and influence events in the EU . . . but I do not believe that Ireland’s image has been tarnished irrevocably, provided we are able to ratify in a reasonable time period.”

Ms Day said she hoped a solution to the current impasse could be found by December. Other member states were keen to provide Ireland with assurances in relation to the treaty, but not to make changes to the text, she said.

“I don’t see any willingness to reopen the treaty. The prospect of opening up the treaty to change doesn’t seem feasible to me at all. The goodwill that’s been shown to us so far doesn’t go as far as changing the treaty.”

However, she said she believed Ireland would ratify the treaty. “I believe Ireland will find the capacity within itself to come on board . . . I don’t want to speculate on how catastrophic it would be if it didn’t.”