THE TAOISEACH again emphasised the importance of a Yes vote to the Lisbon Treaty in a speech on the second day of his US visit, which elaborated on some of the themes in his address to Congress.
Addressing the John F Kennedy jnr Forum at Harvard University in Boston, Mr Ahern said that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was a priority for Ireland.
"We want the European Union to be able to manage its affairs more effectively and to be able to play a more meaningful role in world affairs," he said.
He added that 2009 would be an important year for the EU. "It will be a time of change in many parts of the world. I hope that Europe will by then have had a new treaty in place. This will put our house in order for the future.
"These new positions will give Europe a new profile in world affairs so that the values we share can be articulated more clearly. A major priority in the years ahead will be to ensure that the EU-US relationship continues to prosper. It is by far the world's most important relationship," said Mr Ahern.
Mr Ahern said that the EU's record in promoting peace had been a formidable one, but it was now entering a new and exciting state in its evolution.
He added that last year witnessed two significant milestones in the EU's history. One was the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and the other was the agreement on the terms of the reform treaty.
"Perhaps the main reason for this new treaty is the desire for a more cohesive European role in world affairs. For all of Europe's advances in promoting economic integration, the achievement of the single market and the launch of the single currency, the euro, our international voice has remained relatively muted. The new treaty attempts to rectify this deficit," he said.
Mr Ahern added that the crisis in the Balkans in the 1990s had taught Europe a sad, costly lesson and became the catalyst for the development of a more meaningful external role for the union.
"We came to realise that a united European view would carry infinitely more weight than individual states acting alone," he said.
"The development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy has provided the European Union with an enhanced capacity to respond coherently to international developments and crisis situations."
Mr Ahern said while membership of the EU has been a vital catalyst in Ireland's economic development, he had never seen membership purely in economic terms.
Mr Ahern travelled from Washington to Boston yesterday. He attended a lunch at the Boston College Club hosted by Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. Later, he addressed the JFK School of Government and brought his audience up to date on developments in the North with the implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Ahern was welcomed to Harvard by former minister Síle de Valera, who is a fellow of politics at the Harvard Institute of Politics.
Ms de Valera has conducted a study group focused on European integration, and guests of the group have included EU ambassador John Bruton, former president to the European Parliament Pat Cox and Irish Ambassador to the US Michael Collins.