The message from the Irish people when they voted No in the Nice referendum last year has been heard loud and clear by the Government and in Brussels.But this time we will rise to the challenge of enlargement, and say Yes to Nice, writes Brian Cowen
Today the Government is publishing an updated White Paper on the Treaty of Nice. It is a factual account of the Treaty. It also sets out developments since last year's referendum - including the Seville Declarations on neutrality. At the start of September, we will also be circulating nationwide a short Information Guide.
Furthermore, to give the Referendum Commission the time and resources it needs to do its twin jobs of informing the public and encouraging voter turnout, we established it on July 9th, and have given it a budget of €3.5 million. Incidentally, contrary to what some may suggest, there has been no change in the Commission's statutory duty of fairness. It will be operating under the same mandate as for this year's abortion referendum.
We want the people to have full access to the facts. The issues involved are vitally important for Ireland and for Europe. They merit careful and informed consideration.
I believe that on reading the White Paper people will see that, while Nice is hugely important in what it does, its content is relatively modest. It paves the way to enlargement. But it does not fundamentally alter the nature of the European Union; it does not disrupt the balances between the institutions and among the member- states; it preserves Ireland's national vital interests. But I fully accept that the debate on this occasion, no more than last time, will not be largely about the detail of the Treaty of Nice. It is fundamentally about Ireland's place in Europe.
Thirty years ago, we were about to join the EEC. There was excitement about the challenge that lay ahead. We had always looked to Europe as our home. We wanted to reclaim our rightful place there.
In the intervening years, Ireland has changed and developed. So too has the Union of which we are part. As the relationship has matured and deepened, it has grown more complex. We cannot ignore this reality. In June last year, the Irish people made it very clear that all is not as it was. Too much had been taken for granted; issues had not been sufficiently explored; communication had not been what it should have been.
We have heard this message loud and clear. I know that it has also been heard in Brussels and in the other capitals of the Union. It is a serious message. It deserved and required a serious response. In the Seville Declarations, in the new Constitutional amendment, in our National Forum and in the European Convention, in Oireachtas reform, we have been seeking to craft that response, and to take the people's concerns fully on board.
But we should also reflect on the foundations of our relationship with Europe. Why did we so want to join?
The cynics will say that the story has always been about material prosperity - that we were interested only in cash transfers. I reject this insulting caricature.
Naturally, we wanted a different and materially better kind of future, and we looked to Europe to help us deliver it. It has clearly done so.
Membership of the Union has been and remains absolutely fundamental to our prosperity and economic success. A definitive No to Nice would be deeply damaging.
But, 30 years ago, we were also reaching for something more. Europe held out a larger promise, which spoke to our idealism and to our values as a people. In Ireland, we have always had a deep sense of the importance of community.
That is fundamentally what Europe is about: finding a way for independent states to work together rather than in isolation and rivalry. It is about healing the wounds of the past and creating a new dynamic of partnership. And this is what drives the present commitment to enlargement.
Of course the Union is not perfect. Of course the mix of national interests does not always readily fit together. Of course each of us will always fight to get the best deal for our own people. But this should not obscure the larger picture. The underlying set of values is still there. For instance, over decades the Union has driven a range of equality legislation that is second to none.
The empowerment of Irish women owes much to that impetus. The regional policies and structural funds - from which Ireland has benefited so much - are essentially a statement of solidarity between richer and poorer parts of the Union. And solidarity does not stop at the borders of the Union. The intensive engagement with the Balkans is testimony to Europe's sense of justice and responsibility. The Union is also the world's largest donor of development aid.
THE Government certainly does not view Europe through rose-coloured spectacles. We have emerged successfully from tough negotiations in the past. And we will negotiate equally effectively in the future - including on issues like the CAP. In the debate on the Future of Europe, we are advancing our own vision - one in which the continued centrality of the nation state is key.
But we must negotiate such issues in the right context, and with a sense of historical perspective and of the overall balance sheet. It would be wrong to confuse them with Nice.
Nice is, first and last, about enlargement. It is about giving other European countries - many of whom were relatively recently liberated from external domination - the same opportunities that Ireland received 30 years ago. It is about making Europe as a whole, including Ireland, more stable, more secure and more prosperous.
It is the privilege of our generation to be part of a great European endeavour. As a broad-minded people, more confident and outward looking than at any time in our history, I believe that we will rise to the challenge of enlargement, and say Yes to Nice and to Europe.
Brian Cowen is the Minister for Foreign Affairs