Saturday, June 28, 2008

Unanimity from all the EU's 27 member states not required for Lisbon Treaty

EU Constitution author says referendums can be ignored (link via telegraph.co.uk)
Future referendums will be ignored whether they are held in Ireland or elsewhere, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the architect of the European Union Constitution said. The former President of France drafted the old Constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters three years ago before being resurrected as the Lisbon EU Treaty, itself shunned by the Irish two weeks ago. Mr Giscard d'Estaing told the Irish Times that Ireland's referendum rejection would not kill the Treaty, despite a legal requirement of unanimity from all the EU's 27 member states.
"We are evolving towards majority voting because if we stay with unanimity, we will do nothing," he said. "It is impossible to function by unanimity with 27 members. This time it's Ireland; the next time it will be somebody else." "Ireland is one per cent of the EU". Mr Giscard d'Estaing also admitted that, unlike his original Constitutional Treaty, the Lisbon EU Treaty had been carefully crafted to confuse the public. "What was done in the [Lisbon] Treaty, and deliberately, was to mix everything up. If you look for the passages on institutions, they're in different places, on different pages," he said. "Someone who wanted to understand how the thing worked could with the Constitutional Treaty, but not with this one."
Charming! So much for democracy in Europe.
And doesn't that ring alarm bells (!) to learn that the Lisbon EU Treaty has been deliberately worded to confuse the public? What are they trying to hide?

4 comments:

  1. On one hand this treaty is only all about business and not about the rights of the common people…
    On the other, the UK and Sweden choose to reject the Euro for example, and no one threatens them.

    Ireland just says no !.
    Irish people, I hope, don't request to be just a sheep to be herded !
    They want only to steer their ship on their own.

    Let there be a referendum in all European countries so that our so-called leaders wake up to the fact that "Europe" is out of touch with its population.

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  2. I'm sure from previous comments on the subject that you know what my feelings are on the EU! xx

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  3. I agree - there should be a referendum in all European countries.

    I have a feeling that our 'so-called leaders' know full well what the out-come would be though and that's exactly why they refuse to give everyone a vote.

    The leaders are very definitely out of touch with their people - but the scary thing is that they are deliberately not paying any attention.

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  4. Yes, flighty - and it's nice to be reminded of your views again.

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