A NATIONAL consultation process on Ireland's future relationship with the European Union will begin today with the publication of research commissioned by the Government to establish the reasons behind the electorate's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will brief Cabinet colleagues about the detail of the research this morning, and it will be published later today. The research was conducted by polling firm Millward Brown IMS, which explored the issue through opinion poll and focus group research during the summer.
It has already emerged that fears, particularly among women, that young Irish men could be conscripted into an EU army featured high on the list of reasons given by people for negative attitudes to the treaty. The loss of an automatic right to have an EU commissioner also featured high on the list.
Mr Martin said at the weekend that building a national approach to chart a way forward for the country on the issue would begin after publication of the research.
A plan by the Government to establish an all-party Oireachtas commission to examine the reasons for the No vote and suggest a way forward foundered when Fine Gael and Labour rejected the proposal and suggested that the existing European Affairs Committee should handle the matter.
Work has been proceeding behind the scenes on the options arising in the wake of the No vote. Last month, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General's Office met Danish counterparts in Copenhagen to get advice on how Ireland could opt out of significant provisions of the treaty as a way of resolving the impasse created by the referendum outcome.
In 1993, the Danes opted out of the euro as well as defence, justice and common EU citizenship arrangements established under the Maastricht Treaty. Government sources in Dublin have suggested in recent days that one of the opt-outs being considered was in the area of EU defence co-operation. Ireland has already exercised the right to opt out of justice provisions of the Lisbon Treaty.
The research, published today, is expected to show people still hold generally positive attitudes to EU membership and want Ireland to be at the heart of Europe.
Mr Martin said at the weekend a range of issues were pinpointed as reasons why people voted for or against the treaty, but a significant number held the view that ratification would have meant conscription. "Conscription is significantly more [important] than one might have thought. A significant number were of a view that Lisbon would have meant conscription," said Mr Martin.
Speaking on the margins of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Avignon, France, Mr Martin said the No vote had prompted questions from US investors about Ireland's future commitment to Europe. "We need to be careful that we don't marginalise ourselves . . . I think that would have detrimental impact on the Irish economy and prospects into the future," he said.
Mr Martin said he could not yet predict when the Government would be able to tell its EU partners how it would respond to the rejection of the treaty.
The Taoiseach will give his fellow EU prime ministers an update at the next European Council meeting in Brussels on October 15th and 16th, but is not expected to tell them of the Government's final response until the December meeting of the council.
