A JOINT EU approach to the global financial crisis may help persuade Irish voters to support the Lisbon Treaty if another referendum is held, Spain's minister of state for the European Union has said on a visit to Dublin.
Diego López Garrido argued that the turmoil that has beset global markets in the months since Ireland's rejection of the treaty in June could prompt a different response from voters.
"We are living in a different moment and for that reason I am optimistic concerning the support of the Irish people if the Government decides to call a referendum," he told The Irish Times.
"I think we are now in a kind of paradox in Europe, because after the explosion of the financial crisis the European Union has found a new legitimacy for the people."
During meetings with his Irish counterpart Dick Roche and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore yesterday, Mr López Garrido discussed Spains concerns over the treaty impasse ahead of its forthcoming presidency of the EU in 2010.
Of particular concern to Madrid is the prospect of next June's European parliament elections being run under the provisions of the Nice Treaty if Lisbon is not fully ratified. In such a case, the distribution of seats will change, a move that will affect several member states including Spain, which stands to lose four MEPs.
"That is the worst scenario for us," said Mr López Garrido. "That is why we would prefer to have a solution before the European elections."
Ireland's vote against Lisbon was a shock for Spain, the minister said. "We didn't understand why Ireland rejected it because we know that Ireland and Spain are probably the countries that have most benefited from the European Union," he said. "We didn't understand the referendum result, but we respected it. The decision came from the Irish people."
But Mr López Garrido warned that if Ireland rejected Lisbon in a second referendum, it would signal the end for the treaty. "We need the Irish vote. Without the Irish vote, there is no Lisbon Treaty. It's a question of 27 countries, not 26. We will have to think of new possibilities to co-operate within Europe. That will be a problem for Europe, not only for Ireland."