LISBON FAQ
Q. Is the Irish Commissioner secured?
A. If we vote Yes to the Lisbon Treaty we will keep our Commissioner. If Ireland votes against it, we are vulnerable to losing our Commissioner. Keeping an Irish Commissioner is in our own hands.
Q. Will it lead to a European super-state?
A. The Treaty will not create a European super-state. It safeguards Irish sovereignty and that of the other EU countries. For the first time, the Treaty sets out exactly what the EU has responsibility for and limits it to those areas.
Q. Is this the last time we will have a say?
A. No. The Irish people will still decide by referendum on any major changes to EU Treaties.
Q. Why are other countries not having Referenda?
A. How any country ratifies a treaty is a matter for the national laws of that country alone. It would be a dangerous precedent for us to try to dictate to other countries by insisting they hold a referendum, just as they don’t get to tell us how we go about ratifying a treaty.
Q. Is it good for Farmers?
A. Yes. The Treaty has very little impact on the Common Agricultural Policy, other than a positive one. For the first time, MEPs will vote on issues relating to agriculture. This will be of benefit to Irish farmers as their elected MEPs will have a direct say.
Q. Will it lead to Abortion?
A. No. Abortion and such issues are clearly recognised as matters not within the scope of the EU. The right to life of the unborn in the Irish Constitution is already protected by the Maastricht Protocol. Our own social and moral beliefs are afforded greater protection by this Treaty than by any previous Treaty, through explicit recognition of the right to life in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Furthermore, the EU has agreed a formal, legally binding guarantee on sensitive social issues of concern to the Irish people.
