[Press Release: September 15th, 2002]

GREENS CLAIM NICE TREATY WILL MEAN A LESS DEMOCRATIC EUROPE

The Greens have launched their No to Nice campaign in Wicklow and will be leafleting homes in all of the major population centres in the county. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern is expected to announce the official date for the Nice referendum during the next two week period. The government is obliged to give thirty days notice of any constitutional referendum.

Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, has claimed that the Nice Treaty, if ratified, will mean a less democratic Europe."The Government has tried to steer debate away from the contant of the treaty itself and to pressurise people into voting YES in the upcoming referendum" says councillor de Burca. "This is an insult to the Irish voters and undermines our democracy and the referendum process" she says."Many people voted NO to Nice because of the lack of democracy in the EU institutions".

"The Greens are a pro-European party, part of the European Federation of Green Parties" says de Burca. "However, we are very concerned about the direction in which the European Union is heading. We would like a more democratic, more accountable EU, where enlargement - which we strongly favour - takes place on a much fairer basis for the candidate countries".

During the forthcoming referendum campaign Wicklow Greens will be outlining their major concerns about the Nice Treaty. These concerns include the militarisation of the EU, the loss of a full-time Commissioner, the extension of Qualified Majority Voting on the Council of Ministers and the Enhanced Co-operation provisions of the treaty which the Greens claim will lead to a two-tier, two-speed Europe.

"I look forward to debating these issues with Minister of State for European Affairs, Dick Roche" says de Burca. She claims to have difficulty in reconciling his strong promotion of a Yes to Nice vote in this campaign with his statement of last year:

"it is foolhardy to talk about another referendum at this stage unless something fundamental changes. To attempt to rerun a referendum as a means of reversing the democratic decision taken by the people would be rightly regarded as an affront. Something fundamental will have to be changed in the Nice treaty before we can even contemplate putting it before the people again" (Dail Debates, Vol. 358, pp. 1058-1061, 21 June 2001).

De Burca argues that exactly the same Nice Treaty is being put before the people again, and that not one iota of the treaty has been changed as a result of Ireland's last No vote."We have to send a clear message to the Irish government that our verdict on the Nice Treaty stands by voting No once again in this referendum" she says.

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.