Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Last December in the aftermath of the failed Rome summit, the Taoiseach appeared to lack ambition to conclude negotiations on a new treaty and a great deal of discussion took place on the need for a period of reflection and so on. On that occasion I said:

It now falls to the Irish presidency to seek to complete the job. I have to say that in the reported comments of the Taoiseach over the weekend, and also in remarks made by Minister of State, Deputy Roche, there was a strong sense that both our representatives regarded this as a poisoned chalice, or at least a cup that they wished to pass from them as soon as possible.

I would argue here that the central motivation of the Irish Government, as it takes over the presidency, must be to restore and sustain momentum. As part of that process, the Government should already be consulting as widely as possible as to how momentum can be got back into the process.

I acknowledge that the Taoiseach's attitude has changed and it would be churlish of me at the outset of my contribution if I were not to congratulate him and the Irish Presidency on the progress apparently achieved at the summit last weekend. The Irish Presidency appears to have taken successful advantage of the evident renewal of commitment among the governments of member and accession states to see the work of the intergovernmental conference brought quickly to a conclusion. The breakthrough is to be welcomed, and I hope the new commitment will be sustained during the next few months.

It would seem that much of that renewed commitment is in response to the tragic and utterly unjustifiable terrorist slaughter in Madrid. The shock and horror that emanated from that dreadful day, which has so profoundly scarred the Spanish people, will never be forgotten. It is a tragedy in many ways that it was the consequence of a terrorist attack, and the fear of further terrorism, that has so concentrated the minds of Europe's leaders. Whatever the reason for the fresh impetus it is to be welcomed that the rapid completion of the IGC is now the aim as opposed to the long stalemate that was in prospect.

Europe needs a good constitution. Whether that is what will emerge from the IGC is still uncertain and it will be for member states to decide whether by popular referendum, as will be the case in Ireland and a number of other member states, or by whatever other means is provided for in the constitutions of other individual member states.

What must now be avoided by the IGC and presidency is a draft, based on horse-trading from the point of view of various national interests, conducted in secret, and to the detriment of the precepts of good constitutional drafting as well as at the expense of what was achieved at the Convention.

We do not know all the detail of what is on the agenda and what may still be put on the agenda. There is talk for example of a desire to reduce the role of the Parliament in respect of the budget — reduce it from the position envisaged in the draft Constitution. That is something that I would oppose, and I believe the Presidency must oppose.

On qualified majority voting, it is not simply a question of how the votes are to be counted, but also what is to be subject to QMV. Neither do I believe that the Government should give up on the principle that each member state should continue to have the right to nominate a member of the European Commission. This is an important issue for the Irish people. If it is important for us, just consider how important it is for many of the applicant states that do not have the 30 years membership experience that this country has clocked up.

Assuming a successful outcome to the IGC what must also critically be avoided is a subsequent process that ignores citizens, that presents them after a period of silence with a fait accompli and the undemocratic message that they must vote 'yes', the disastrous scenario during the first Nice referendum. In this regard it is crucial that in Ireland the National Forum on Europe is fully resourced to continue with its informational work and as a forum for discussion and debate on the content of whatever emerges, assuming there is an agreed draft for the June Council.

If the people are to be given sufficient time to consider the implications of any new treaty before being asked to vote on it in a constitutional referendum, the same principle should apply in regard to all constitutional referenda. In this regard, I am sorry the Taoiseach confirmed to me in a letter today that he and his Government are determined to press ahead with the constitutional referendum on citizenship in conjunction with the European and local elections. Apart from the substance of the issue, the Government has yet to make a convincing case as to the necessity of the referendum.

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