Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan today said a letter sent by the European Commission exposed as wrong the claim that the Lisbon treaty would see Ireland lose its veto on trade.
He said that claims by Sinn Féin and Libertas on last night's Prime Timethat they had "definitive evidence" that Ireland will lose its veto on trade as a result of the Lisbon Treaty were wrong.
The Minister quoted from a letter sent to the Government "by the most senior official in the trade area" of the European Commission, David O’Sullivan, who wrote:
“The position is quite simply that unanimity will apply: it applies now and it would apply under the Lisbon Treaty”.
“Sinn Féin and Libertas’s claim that reassurance had only been given by junior people in Dublin is, quite simply untrue,” Mr Lenihan added.
He said that the number of times that such “unfounded” attacks have been made by them on the Treaty indicated these were a “deliberate tactic to confuse the public”.
“We have a positive message about making sure that a Union which has worked so well for Ireland can become more efficient and effective in the face of modern challenges such as climate change.
“We have no intention of letting Sinn Féin and Libertas away with their joint tactic of deliberate misrepresentation,” the Minister said.
