GERMANY:MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN Affairs Dick Roche will tell German diplomats today the Irish people are already "reflecting more" on the consequences of rejecting the Lisbon Treaty and how to move ahead, writes Jamie Smyth.
But he will also plead for them to be patient and not set any artificially imposed deadline for the Government to come up with a solution to its Lisbon dilemma.
"It would not be helpful if the impression were created in Ireland, or elsewhere in the union, that Ireland is being obliged to respond to any artificially imposed deadline," Mr Roche will tell a conference of German ambassadors in a speech today in Berlin.
A draft of his speech shows Mr Roche will tell diplomats that, in the aftermath of the referendum, the Irish public are now considering the consequences of their vote.
"I believe the Irish people are gradually reflecting more on the possible consequences of our vote and on how we might move forward in a way that serves our national interests, those of our partners and the needs of the union."
He will say the Government recognises the urgency of the Lisbon dilemma as EU states want to know how the EU will be structured next year, either under Nice or Lisbon. But he will say the No vote presents an enormous challenge for Ireland.
Mr Roche will say that the complicated nature of the treaty was a key campaign issue for those on the No side in the referendum campaign.
In his speech, he will also say the No vote should be taken as a warning for the EU as a whole and urge EU institutions to make more effort to communicate with ordinary people.
He will suggest that the European Commission produces a 10-page reader-friendly consolidated text of the Lisbon Treaty and other key EU documents.
"The EU needs a new narrative, a clear narrative - one that speaks to the hearts of its citizens as well as to their minds and their wallets," he will say.
Mr Roche, who will meet German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the conference, will say that the Government has to explore "all possible solutions". He will repeat his view that at some stage, and in the right circumstances, it may be necessary to consult the people again in a second referendum. But this would only be feasible if it addressed the needs of the Irish people and was a "different question".