The Government is insisting that an Irish referendum on the EU constitutional treaty will be held even if the French decide on Sunday to reject it. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports.
French president Jacques Chirac made a final televised appeal to voters last night to support the constitution, as opinion polls showed 54 per cent preparing to vote No.
With the people of the Netherlands also veering towards a No vote in their referendum to be held next week, there is growing concern in Brussels that the ratification process could be stalled.
However, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern yesterday published the Bill to enable a referendum here and insisted: "We will proceed in any event. Renegotiation is not on the agenda."
He said the Government had not yet decided when to hold the referendum, although there is speculation in political circles that it could take place this autumn.
In an attempt to reduce the arguments of the expected No campaign, the Government has dropped two contentious clauses included in its initial proposals, which were published in The Irish Times earlier this month. Mr Ahern said if 80 per cent of EU member states - 20 of the 25 - ratify the treaty, there would be an intergovernmental conference of EU leaders late next year to decide what to do next.
Minister of State Noel Treacy said yesterday that the conference would seek a formula to resolve the problems in the member states that had not ratified the treaty. "But we don't anticipate there will be a renegotiation of something that has already been ratified by so many."
One of the two contentious clauses left out of the Bill published yesterday would have allowed the State to sign up to a wide range of changes in EU policies in the future without a referendum. The other would have allowed the State decide in future to join in "permanent structured co-operation" in defence.
The proposed wording asks voters to approve a number of so-called passerelle clauses that would allow EU leaders to agree unanimously to abolish the national veto in certain specified areas. Oireachtas approval would be required for Ireland to agree to such changes, but a referendum would not.
The issues on which EU leaders could agree to abolish the requirement for unanimity voting include areas of common foreign and security policy, EU finances, planning and environmental resources, family law and judicial co-operation.
Mr Ahern yesterday sought to neutralise concerns that the treaty brought Ireland closer to involvement in a military alliance. He said the Bill would "carry forward the prohibition on Irish participation in a common defence inserted by the second referendum on the Nice Treaty".