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12 / 12 / 2008 - Draft conclusions from EU summit offer `feeble political promises` on Lisbon
Cóir has said that the planned negotiations at tomorrow’s meeting of EU leaders in Brussels confirm that abortion is a major concern with the electorate. But spokesman Richard Greene also accused the government of “failing to make any serious effort to address pro-life concerns with the Lisbon Treaty” and said that the draft conclusions issued today from the EU summit contained only “feeble and worthless promises” on threats to Ireland’s pro-life and pro-family laws.
In today’s draft conclusions from this week’s European Summit the European Council noted “the concerns of the Irish people family presented by the Taoiseach in relation to family, social and ethical issues.
“Abortion is always on the short-list of major concerns with the Lisbon Treaty, since various polls and the government’s own research with Millward Brown have shown it was a significant issue with voters,” said Mr Greene. “However, the government has made no serious attempt to address these concerns and have shown that they are determined to press ahead with plans to make the EU more federalized, less democratic and less accountable.”
“The more federalized the EU comes, especially with the adoption of the Charter of Rights and the creation of a new EU state of which we will all become citizens under Lisbon, the less control the Irish people will have over our social laws,” said Mr Greene.
Research has shown that worries about how Lisbon might affect Ireland's sovereignty, political influence, neutrality, taxation policies, and our competency to decide our abortion laws were foremost concerns for No voters in the June 12th referendum. Cóir were the only national campaign who urged a No vote to protect Irish pro-life and pro-family values.
The EU looks now set to offer non-binding guarantees on contentious social issues such as abortion. Mr Greene said that the rush to describe such political promises as “legal guarantees” as Minister Micheál Martin did yesterday was “dishonest”. “Assurances or declarations from the European Union on concerns such as abortion or taxation cannot improve the Lisbon Treaty, since such declarations will not be legally binding,” the Cóir spokesman said.
Source : Cóir
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In today’s draft conclusions from this week’s European Summit the European Council noted “the concerns of the Irish people family presented by the Taoiseach in relation to family, social and ethical issues.
“Abortion is always on the short-list of major concerns with the Lisbon Treaty, since various polls and the government’s own research with Millward Brown have shown it was a significant issue with voters,” said Mr Greene. “However, the government has made no serious attempt to address these concerns and have shown that they are determined to press ahead with plans to make the EU more federalized, less democratic and less accountable.”
“The more federalized the EU comes, especially with the adoption of the Charter of Rights and the creation of a new EU state of which we will all become citizens under Lisbon, the less control the Irish people will have over our social laws,” said Mr Greene.
Research has shown that worries about how Lisbon might affect Ireland's sovereignty, political influence, neutrality, taxation policies, and our competency to decide our abortion laws were foremost concerns for No voters in the June 12th referendum. Cóir were the only national campaign who urged a No vote to protect Irish pro-life and pro-family values.
The EU looks now set to offer non-binding guarantees on contentious social issues such as abortion. Mr Greene said that the rush to describe such political promises as “legal guarantees” as Minister Micheál Martin did yesterday was “dishonest”. “Assurances or declarations from the European Union on concerns such as abortion or taxation cannot improve the Lisbon Treaty, since such declarations will not be legally binding,” the Cóir spokesman said.
Source : Cóir