OPINION:The French president must accept the need for a treaty that reflects Irish concerns and those of citizens across the EU, writes Gerry Adams.
ON MONDAY, Nicolas Sarkozy will meet Irish political leaders from both the Yes and No sides of the Lisbon Treaty debate. Sinn Féin welcomes the opportunity to put our view to the current president of the European Union. Sarkozy has the opportunity to play a positive role in the development of the European Union. He can best do this by accepting the need for a new treaty that reflects the concerns of the Irish people and citizens across the EU.
Sinn Féin has two messages for the French president.
The first is that he must respect the democratically expressed opinion of the electorate. The rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by a clear majority of the electorate on June 12th means the treaty is dead. There can be no referendum rerun. A new treaty is required.
Having accepted the end of the Lisbon Treaty, Sarkozy must then listen, not only to the electorate of this State, but also to the concerns of people across the EU.
The second message is that the people want a better deal. Throughout the referendum campaign, Sinn Féin argued that Ireland's place is at the heart of Europe. Our opposition to the Lisbon Treaty was based on our conviction that it represented a bad deal for Ireland, the EU and the developing world. We remain convinced that a better deal is possible. Seventy-six per cent of those who voted No agree with us, according to the European Commission Gallup poll conducted after the referendum.
All of the post-referendum opinion polls confirm that our core concerns were central to the outcome of the referendum. Voters were deeply concerned with issues such as democracy and Ireland's loss of power within the EU; neutrality and militarisation; and workers' rights and public services.
Failure to respect the outcome of the Irish referendum will further undermine the EU's democratic legitimacy, not just in Ireland, but also across all member states.
Sarkozy's visit also provides an opportunity for the Government to set out the need for a new treaty in clear and unambiguous terms. That is the democratic imperative. Brian Cowen says that he will respect the decision of the people. However, he has yet to say how he will address people's legitimate and deeply held concerns.
Contrary to the views of some European politicians and Irish commentators, another deal is possible. It is true there is no appetite for a new treaty among some EU leaders, including Sarkozy. But since June 12th, a number of member state governments, a variety of political voices and important social movements such as the European Trade Union Confederation have expressed interest in renegotiating key aspects of the treaty.
The space and the support for a new treaty clearly exists. If the Government were to take a lead in building a political and social alliance for a better deal, it would reap substantial dividends both in terms of the content of any new treaty and in its standing among the peoples and governments of the EU.
Sinn Féin has already outlined the kind of agenda around which we believe such an alliance could be built, including:
Retention of a permanent commissioner;
Retention of our existing voting strength at council;
Removal of all self-amending clauses, including Article 48;
Return or strengthening of key vetoes on public services, taxation and international trade;
Vetoes on all aspects of common foreign and defence policies;
A protocol on neutrality;
New measures to protect workers' rights;
Measures to protect public services; and
Measures to promote fair trade.
These changes represent the minimum reforms of the EU that we believe would be acceptable to the electorate in any future treaty.
I do not underestimate the difficulties involved in building support for a new round of negotiations. Sinn Féin wants to play a constructive role and assist the Government in what should be a truly national effort. The rejection of the Lisbon Treaty gives the Government a strong hand in any future negotiations. The question now is how the Taoiseach will use that hand, and whether he has the political will and courage to use it to maximum effect.
When the European Council meets in October, Brian Cowen must call for a new round of negotiations and a new treaty. If he does we all take one step closer to a better deal for Ireland, the EU and the developing world.
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Gerry Adams is president of Sinn Féin