Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-18-Speech-3-024"
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"en.20080618.2.3-024"2
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"Mr President, Irish people have spoken. The vote that Irish people cast against the Treaty of Lisbon last Thursday was not a vote against the EU. Ireland’s place is in the EU. Ireland has obtained social and economic benefits – both north and south – due to its Membership, although some difficulties also exist.
The issue was: Is the Treaty of Lisbon good for the people of Ireland, for the rest of Europe or for the developing world? The Treaty of Lisbon was put before the people in Ireland and it has been rejected. The Treaty of Lisbon is over. Irish citizens, like those in France and the Netherlands previously, want a better deal.
We now have the opportunity to re–open the debate on the future of Europe. We must embrace this opportunity.
It would not be acceptable for EU leaders to seek ways of avoiding or circumventing the democratically expressed wishes of the people. The ratification process must stop, just as it did following the rejection of the EU Constitution. But on this occasion we must listen to the Irish people; we must listen to the people. Many of the same concerns came up in Ireland as were raised previously in France and in the Netherlands. Those concerns must be listened to. We must address those concerns.
Throughout the referendum campaign in Ireland, a number of key issues came up again and again: the democratic deficit, Ireland’s loss of power in Europe, neutrality and non-militarisation, workers’ rights and public services, and the Treaty’s impact on the developing world. These issues must be addressed.
The European project is now put to the democratic test through its response to the vote in Ireland. Does it listen to the people, does it respect their democratic wishes, or does it alienate its citizens by setting all of that aside?
In my view, democracy must prevail. We must listen to what Irish people have said. We must put aside talk of putting them to one side or moving ahead without them, isolating them or blaming them. We need to listen very carefully and calmly to what Irish people have said and to the problems that they have indicated in terms of neutrality and the whole question of EU militarisation, in terms of democracy and the voice of Ireland and other small nations in Europe, in terms of workers’ rights and public services and social Europe.
We need to listen to that. We need to take the opportunity now to speak to the Irish Government, to listen to the Irish people and to chart a way forward and a text that all can be happy with in the future."@en1
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