Taoiseach Welcomes Lisbon Treaty Ratification

Taoiseach, Brian Cowen T.D. has welcomed the signing of the Czech Republic's ratification instrument for the Lisbon Treaty. Czech President Vaclav Klaus signed the ratification instrument in Prague last Tuesday.

The signing came after the European Council agreed that, at the time of the next accession treaty, the Czech Republic would be included within the protocol on the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights to the United Kingdom and Poland.

This led to a ruling from the Czech Constitutional Court that the Lisbon Treaty conforms to the Czech Constitution.

On this basis, the obstacles identified by President Klaus were said to no longer exist and he therefore signed the ratification instrument.

The final step now will be the lodgement of the ratification instrument with the Italian authorities in Rome, as custodians of the EU Treaties.

Commenting on the signing, the Taoiseach said: "I am very pleased that President Klaus has signed the Treaty ... This now clears the way for the Treaty to enter into force in the near future. This is excellent news both for Ireland and for the European Union."

The Taoiseach said that the development means that the long saga of the Lisbon Treaty is nearing a welcome end, and that the welcome reforms which it contains will now be implemented in the very near future.

The Taoiseach recalled that many of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty were set out initially in the EU Constitutional Treaty, which was finalised during the Irish Presidency in 2004, when he was Minister for Foreign Affairs.

While this Treaty was rejected in French and Dutch referendums in 2005, and the concept of a new Constitutional Treaty was then abandoned, most of the substantive reforms were nonetheless retained in the Lisbon Treaty negotiated in 2007.

The rejection by the Irish people of that Treaty in a referendum in June 2008 was followed by a lengthy process of negotiation between the Irish Government and the other EU Member States, culminating in agreement to retain one Commissioner per Member State and to provide specific guarantees to Ireland on certain issues of concern to the Irish people.

As a result of this agreement, a second referendum was held in October, resulting in an overwhelming endorsement of the Treaty, by over two to one, under the largest turnout ever in an Irish referendum on an EU Treaty.

The Taoiseach said "It is gratifying that a Treaty whose evolution has been heavily influenced by Irish perspectives will be coming into effect in the near future.

"I expect that the focus on filling the new posts under the Treaty, of President of the European Council and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will now intensify over the coming days.

"I believe that the experience of the lengthy process of gestation of the Treaty reinforces the need for continued education about the operation and benefits of the European Union for the citizens of all Member States, including Ireland."