A new organisation to campaign for a Yes vote in the second Nice Treaty referendum - called the Irish Alliance for Europe - is being launched today, Deaglán de Bréadún reports.
The former finance minister and European commissioner, Mr Ray MacSharry, has been replaced at the Convention on the Future of Europe by the Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, who is also one of the leaders of the Government's campaign to ratify the Nice Treaty.
A spokesman for Mr Roche said Mr MacSharry, who was the Government's representative, had always intended to step down after the general election. Government representatives from other EU countries on the convention include the deputy prime ministers of Sweden, Finland and Italy and the UK Minister for Europe, Mr Peter Hain.
"Dick Roche is ideally placed to take over from Ray MacSharry because of the portfolio he holds.
He is also going to play a central role in the forthcoming presidency of the European Union for the Irish Government."
Ireland assumes the presidency of the EU in January 2004.
The convention sits in Brussels under the chairmanship of the former French president, Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing, and it is due to publish its final report in the middle of next year.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Finland, Mr Paavo Lipponen, and an anti-Nice campaigner from Estonia, Dr Uno Silberg, will address the National Forum on Europe in Dublin Castle this afternoon on the topic: "How do small countries, such as Ireland, Finland and Estonia, pursue their foreign policy objectives within the European Union?" The session begins at 2.30 p.m. A new organisation to campaign for a Yes vote is being launched today, the Irish Alliance for Europe.
The Fianna Fáil MEP, Mr Niall Andrews, pointed out in a statement that the other 14 EU member-states had now approved the provisions of the Nice Treaty.
Belgium formally placed its ratification documents with the Italian government, which is the legal custodian, at the end of August.
"This now means that Ireland is the last remaining country that has yet to ratify the provisions of the Nice Treaty. If we fail to ratify the treaty, we will be delaying the enlargement of the European Union, which is simply not in our national interest and will not serve any positive economic purpose whatsoever," Mr Andrews said.
However, on the issue of neutrality and the Nice Treaty, the Green TD, Mr John Gormley, said in a statement that the Seville Declaration had "changed absolutely nothing".
It simply confirmed that Ireland was non-aligned, i.e., not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. "It certainly does not protect our neutrality," he said.
Young Fine Gael has expressed concern that "voter anger at the failure of the Government to deliver on election promises has the potential to influence how people vote in the Nice referendum".
Ms Lucinda Creighton of Young Fine Gael said: "Despite the anger people feel about broken promises, it is essential that people do not translate their feelings into a negative vote on Nice.
"There will be plenty of opportunity to get revenge on the Government at the next local and general elections.
"Europe has contributed to unparalleled prosperity in this country. Unemployment has dropped by 15 per cent in the past 10 years.
"We have received more funding per person in Ireland than any other country in the EU. With a new market of 100 million consumers opening up to us, we cannot afford to turn our backs on Europe," Ms Creighton said.