Green Senator says Govt should propose measures on defence and workers rights; criticises Fine Gael and Sinn Fein for contemptuous and self-serving stunts

The Green Party’s European Affairs spokesperson Deirdre De Burca has welcomed the ruling of the Constitutional Court in the Czech Republic that the Lisbon Treaty is compatible with the Czech constitution. Senator De Burca added that, with the focus now back on Ireland, the publication tomorrow of a report by the Oireachtas sub-committee on Ireland’s future in the European Union would be a particularly important event – despite attempts by several political parties to undermine the valuable cross-party work that the committee has undertaken over the last seven weeks.

Senator De Burca said: “The ruling today by the Czech Court that the Lisbon Treaty poses no problem with their laws is welcome. The only difficulty that the Czech Republic now faces is an intransigent, isolated and eurosceptic President.

“Europe’s focus will again return to Ireland in the run-up to next month’s meeting of the European Council. The Irish Government can and must now demonstrate leadership and outline the way forward. I have full confidence in my Green Party colleagues in Cabinet, who I know are actively and constructively contributing to the formation of Government policy at this critical time.

“The Government must ensure that Ireland is not isolated in Europe, but it must also ensure that any measures proposed address the concerns of the Irish people that led to the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. The areas of defence and neutrality are of particular concern for the Irish public, as indicated by the Millward Brown research, and they are especially important for the Greens. I have also – in contributions both to the Oireachtas committee and to my Party’s role in Government – highlighted concerns about the issue of workers rights. These are major concerns for Green voters and for the Irish people in general, and they will need to be substantially addressed in the proposals that the Government brings to next month’s European Council.

“Ireland has in front of it several major challenges: an international financial systems in turmoil; a struggling economy; rising energy and food costs putting pressure on our competitiveness and threatening jobs; and demanding obligations to reduce emissions in line with our Kyoto and European commitments. We have recently witnessed how an open and exposed country like Iceland can be vulnerable and isolated. As a member of the European Union, we have escaped the worst ravages of the current economic climate, and we also stand to benefit from joint action. The European Commission today announced a €200bn plan to turn around the EU’s finances through measures including reduced VAT rates for green products, green services and labour intensive services, and additional R&D funding for green cars, energy efficient buildings and factories of the future. I encourage the Government to give major consideration to the Commission’s proposal.

“The Oireachtas sub-committee on Ireland’s future in the European Union, of which I am a member, has performed extremely well since its first meeting on 8 October. It has facilitated constructive debate and detailed analysis of Ireland’s relationship with Europe and the way forward, following the electorate’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in June. I have made extensive contributions to the work of the committee, and to the report that will published tomorrow. I therefore wish to express my utter condemnation of Fine Gael and Sinn Fein for their contemptuous and self-serving media stunts, which threaten to undermine the work of the committee.

“It strikes me that Fine Gael in particular have learnt nothing from the Lisbon campaign, which exposed the tactics of the three main political parties as cynical and detached from their supporters. Their partisan and petty attempts now to divert media attention away from the committee’s work highlights Fine Gael and Sinn Fein’s vanity and political immaturity.”

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Press Release by Deirdre