The Taoiseach will today open the Government campaign for a Yes vote in the Nice Treaty referendum, which he confirmed yesterday would be on June 7th.
Mr Ahern will use today's press conference to contest the claims of opponents of the treaty that a Yes vote would compromise Irish neutrality and further militarise the EU. He will be accompanied by several ministers, including the PD Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell.
Mr Ahern has encouraged all his Ministers to campaign enthusiastically for the treaty, which he says is designed solely to prepare the EU for enlargement. With the Government prevented by the McKenna judgment from spending money on a partisan Yes campaign, Ministers have been asked to seek a high profile in local newspapers and radio stations as well as national media.
There is concern in Government circles that voter apathy could lead to a low turnout, possibly boosting the chances of the opponents of the treaty, who are generally seen as more committed. Close to 40 per cent of voters opposed the Amsterdam Treaty, and the Government is anxious to ensure the No vote does not rise further on this occasion.
Answering Dail questions on the matter yesterday, Mr Ahern agreed that parliamentarians and others would have to be involved in a debate in Ireland on the future shape of the EU. However, he declined to give his own views on how the Union should develop.
"I am not willing to provide any views as yet on what course the debate on the future of Europe should take. We must deal with the Nice Treaty in the first instance and then give consideration to the debate on the future of Europe, which will take place during next year and the year after," he said.
A debate on Europe's future would only take place after Nice was ratified, he said in response to questions from the Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan. "The debate in this country will not take place in any form - this was agreed by all the groups - until the Nice Treaty has been ratified. That is the position."
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, made the order yesterday appointing Thursday, June 7th, as polling day for the referendums on the Nice Treaty, on the prohibition of the death penalty and on the International Criminal Court. Some 2,867,960 people will be eligible to vote.
According to Mr Dempsey, people who are eligible to vote but are not registered still have time to be entered on the supplement to the register of electors. Persons wishing to do this should contact their county council or city corporation.