Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The Taoiseach was strong and robust at the European Union. He articulated what the Irish people decided. He stated to his European colleagues and Heads of State that they had to respect it. They did respect it and did not seek to isolate Ireland. He also stated that we do not have answers. Europe is in difficulty. We do not have any quick fixes or solutions. The Taoiseach made this clear to such an extent that the conclusions agreed reflect the position of the Taoiseach and the country, which is not to be told we must do X, Y or Z because we are not in a position to state we can do so. We will analyse it ourselves and see how we can map a way forward. This is as far as we went. The conclusions of the summit reflect this position.

With regard to suggesting that the Taoiseach should have told other member states not to do this or that with regard to ratification, in our view it would be unacceptable for us to deny the sovereign right of democratically elected parliaments across the European Union to decide for themselves whether they wish to ratify the Lisbon treaty. Just as we wish them to respect our right to say "No", we must respect their democratic processes and their right to say either "Yes" or "No" through their parliamentary democracies.

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