EU says Lisbon treaty isn't finished, but admits there is no 'quick-fix'

Published on Monday 16 June 2008 21:57

EUROPEAN Union foreign ministers vowed yesterday to keep the EU reform treaty alive despite Ireland's "No" vote, but conceded they had no quick solution to salvage it.

Ministers meeting in Luxembourg began to pick up the pieces after Thursday's Irish referendum cast doubt over the survival of a pact meant to ease decision making and bolster the EU's economic and political weight in the world.

EU leaders will want to hear from Brian Cowen, the prime minister, at a summit in Brussels later this week whether he sees any hope of winning a new referendum, a step Irish officials have not ruled out but which they believe is a high-risk strategy.

France led nations arguing that the EU had damaged its cause by failing to respond to public anger over rising food and fuel prices, with some fearing the bloc's image would suffer a further blow if this week's summit did not look at the issue.

Micheal Martin, the Irish foreign minister, insisted it was "far too early" for proposals on rescuing a treaty which will not now come into force on 1 January as planned.

"The people's decision has to be respected and we have to chart a way through. There are no quick-fix solutions," he said.

Despite this, Dublin's 26 partners, except the wavering Czechs, say ratification should continue elsewhere in the bloc.

"The treaty is not dead. The EU is in constant crisis management – we go from one crisis to another and finally we find a solution," said Alexander Stubb, the Finnish foreign minister, noting the bloc had dealt with past voter setbacks.

In the Czech Republic, one of nine EU countries which have not ratified the pact, Eurosceptic president Vaclav Klaus and some others in his ruling Civic Democratic Party said the Irish vote meant the treaty was dead and should be abandoned.

Mirek Topolanek, the prime minister said a decision on how to go forward could not be hurried.

Charlie McCreevy, the Irish member of the European Commission, said on the sidelines of a Dublin business conference: "There can be no question of the Irish government being bullied into anything."

The Lisbon treaty is designed to streamline decision-making in Brussels and provide the bloc with a permanent "EU President" post and a foreign policy supremo with a real foreign service.

Olli Rehn, the EU Enlargement Commissioner, said the Irish vote did not diminish the bloc's commitment to admit new members from southeastern Europe, in apparent contrast to doubts raised by Hans-Gert Poettering, the European Parliament president .

"The European Union sticks to its word concerning the EU perspective of south-eastern Europe, that is, the Western Balkans and Turkey," Mr Rehn said.

Mr Poettering told Germany's Bild am Sonntag: "As long as the Lisbon treaty is not in force, there can be no further accessions to the EU, with the possible exception of Croatia."

Zagreb is at the front of the queue of countries vying to join the bloc and hopes to conclude negotiations next year.

EU officials hope that if all other countries back the treaty by December, the Irish can be persuaded to try again in exchange for assurances on issues such as preserving a member of the European Commission for each member country and retaining national vetoes over tax legislation indefinitely.