Taoiseach says Ireland"s place is at the heart of Europe

Last year the people of Ireland made clear their concerns arising from the debate on the Lisbon Treaty during the referendum campaign. We listened to those concerns. We asked our European Union partners to help us address them. We went to the Brussels summit last week seeking legally binding guarantees in relation to those issues that could be copperfastened in a Protocol annexed to a future EU treaty. And that is what we got. The deal secured in Brussels could not be more straightforward. Each Member State, including Ireland, retains its Commissioner. A Protocol provides legally binding guarantees that we will keep control of our own tax rates; that the protections in the Irish Constitution on the right to life and the protection of the family and education are still applicable and that our traditional policy of military neutrality is unaffected by the Lisbon Treaty. The European Union reiterated the importance it attaches to the protection of workers" rights and the role of public services. The guarantees put to rest, once and for all, the concerns which emerged during last year"s referendum. These were identified during detailed analysis of the poll. The guarantees also respect the recommendations of the all-party Oireachtas Committee on Ireland"s Future in the European. The committee consulted widely and found that the Irish people wish to remain at the heart of the European Union. The citizens of Europe look to the Member States and the Union to deliver on jobs, economic growth, tackling cross-border crime and the protection of the environment. The Lisbon Treaty might appear to be far removed from these day to day issues but this is not the case. The Treaty does, indeed, change the way the Union operates but, more importantly, it equips the Union to cope better with change in a rapidly changing world. All Member States, big and small, recognise that they cannot tackle climate change and deal with the global economic crisis on their own. Membership of the EU allows us to share ideas, co-ordinate policies and work together for the good of the people. The Lisbon Treaty gives the Union new powers to handle climate change and similar issues. It also streamlines the decision-making process in order to facilitate swift and effective responses to these challenges. Under Lisbon our MEPs will be more actively involved in the law-making process and national parliaments, such as the Oireachtas, will be given a bigger say in the legislative process. A new citizens" initiative will be created. Measures to encourage the participation of young people in the democractic life of Europe are specifically provided for in the Treaties. Politics is about consultation, leadership and listening to the people. Giving new powers to the European Parliament and national parliaments enhances the democratic accountability of the Union. It brings the Union closer to the people. The Lisbon Treaty is about good governance. Good governance is about delivering results, resolving issues and delivering on public services. I hope that people will look at the detail of the Treaty and the guarantees in due course. But I also hope that they will look beyond the detail. Ireland"s membership of the EU has benefited the country. Our experience of the Union has been positive one. Our agriculture, our infrastructure, our public services and our environment have all been transformed during the course of our membership. I indicated that, if we got satisfactory guarantees on the issues of concern to us, we would consult the people again in the autumn on the Treaty. The deal secured in Brussels meets those concerns and we will introduce legislation paving the way for a referendum in the coming days. I am looking forward to a healthy campaign; focussed on the Treaty itself and free of the extraneous issues which polluted last year"s debate. The guarantees are clear: there will be no conscription and no European army. Europe works best when it finds consensus. Europe did so by saying Yes to Ireland last week. We will have an opportunity to say a resounding Yes to Europe on polling day. The Government"s case is that the people should do so by ratifying the Lisbon Treaty. Foreign investors and the international community are looking to us to see if we will make that commitment. Any hesitation or equivocation on this and we are lost. Ireland"s place is at the heart of Europe. We need to be there if we are to maximise our influence on the big issues that matter most to us. A Yes vote will send a powerful signal to our European friends that we want to work with them and that we have much to offer.