Ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty does not mean the end of Irish sovereignty or neutrality but "scare-mongering" like this has been heard before, the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said.
Launching Labour's campaign yesterday for a "Yes" vote on May 22nd, Mr Quinn and the party's campaign director for the Amsterdam referendum, Ms Bernie Malone MEP, insisted the treaty did not commit Ireland to a military alliance and would not entail new defence or military obligations.
"Let's be clear about what is at issue here. Yes, the Amsterdam Treaty does require a further pooling of sovereignty by member states . . . I put it to the Irish people that they have heard all this scare-mongering before. They heard it during the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty and the Single European Act. Yet, Ireland remains outside the WEU and NATO," he said. There was still no European army and the Irish Army remained subject to orders from the Oireachtas - not France, Britain or Germany. The Amsterdam Treaty would change none of this.
In addition to providing job opportunities, it would strengthen the rights of workers throughout the community, he said. Social partnership would also be strengthened and the treaty would "promote equality and, at the same time, outlaw discrimination throughout the Union". According to Ms Malone, opponents of the treaty had to date exercised "all their usual scare tactics" and played on people's fears. However, the treaty was just "a modest step in the development of the EU" and was about improving the Community in a range of areas - employment, social integration, citizen involvement, the environment and enlargement.
While the defence issue had attracted the most extensive debate so far, the treaty would give Ireland "a further opportunity to continue this positive neutrality". It would enable it to participate in peacekeeping operations throughout the EU and there were "in-built safeguards" which ensured Ireland could never be required to take part in such activities.
Meanwhile, contrary to some claims, Europol would not be an operational police force. Its function was to gather information and data on "drugs barons and organised crime" and it would not impinge on Garda operations.
The treaty involved incremental change and was necessary to allow the EU to face the challenges ahead. In particular, it should be supported because of advances it would make in policies on employment, social affairs and anti-discrimination.