February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN — As the fallout from the shock No to Nice vote continues to cause political disarray, European Commission President Romano Prodi confused the issue further last week during a "listen and learn" visit to Ireland that had been organized well before the rejection vote.
Campaigners against the Nice Treaty on EU enlargement have seized on remarks by Prodi that new countries can still be legally be admitted to the EU despite the Irish rejection. He later backtracked and said the treaty was a political precondition.
But he bluntly laid it on the line in stark terms — if Ireland doesn’t accept the treaty in a second referendum, then it is scuppered. All 15 member countries have to accept a new treaty.
"If Ireland does not ratify, Nice will not be ratified," he said, adding that there would then be serious political consequences.
He said that before enlargement could happen, it must have the "approval and happiness" of all the participants.
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Problems for Prodi began with an eve-of-visit interview he gave to the Irish Times in which he said that under the 1998 Amsterdam Treaty, the EU can accept up to five new members, making a total of 20.
"Legally, ratification of the Nice Treaty is not necessary for enlargement," Prodi said. "It’s without any problem up to 20 members, and those beyond 20 members have only to put in the accession agreement some notes of change, some clause. But legally, it’s not necessary."
Despite his later clarifications, treaty opponents were delighted. His initial statement had been a central plank of their referendum campaign against the treaty.
"His [Prodi’s] statement is what we have said all along," said Green MEP Patricia McKenna. "His subsequent statement clarifying it is still basically the same statement, because what he is saying is the Nice Treaty, legally, is not necessary for enlargement.
"Politically, that’s a different thing. In other words, the member states of the EU, like the big more powerful countries Germany and France, don’t want enlargement to take place until the rules are changed and Nice does that," she said.
The shockwaves from the 54 percent No vote on June 7 have put the EU issue center stage as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern comes under pressure over what is perceived to be growing Euro-skepticism among some ministers.
The Fine Gael leader, Michael Noonan, said there is a growing level of dissent and disunity in the government about Europe.
"It is beginning to make the British Tory Party look united and cohesive," he said.
Ahern rejected the claim, saying he believed passionately that enlargement was an historic opportunity and a moral duty.
"So do all my ministerial colleagues," he said. "So does my party. There can be no ambiguity about that. We are proud to be committed members of the Union. And I believe that you cannot be half in and half out."