Europe
New poll shows Irish are against a second referendum and would reject Lisbon by even bigger margin than before;
Irish government attacks poll
A new poll by Irish company Red C, commissioned by Open Europe, has found that 71% of Irish voters are against a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and that, of those who expressed an opinion, 62% would vote 'no'. That would mean the "no" lead would increase from 6 points in the recent referendum to a commanding 24 point lead in a second vote.
The poll found that 17% of those who voted "yes" in the recent referendum would vote "no" in a second referendum, while only 6% of those who voted "no" would now vote "yes". Perhaps most significantly of all, those who did not vote last time would vote more than two-to-one against in a second referendum: 57% would vote "no" and 26% would vote "yes".
67% agreed with the statement that "politicians in Europe do not respect Ireland's no vote". Only 28% disagreed. 61% disagreed with the statement that "If all of the other 26 EU countries ratify the Treaty in their parliaments then Ireland has to change its mind and support the Treaty." Only 32% agreed. 53% said they would be less likely to vote for Brian Cowen at the next election if he called a second referendum. In particular, 43% of Fianna Fail voters said they would be less likely to vote for him.
The poll was widely reported in the UK, Ireland and across Europe yesterday, and coverage continues today. In particular, it was reported on in the Irish Independent on Sunday, the Irish Times, the News of the World, the Sunday Express, the Times, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Le Point, NRC Handelsblatt, Spiegel, Gazeta Wyborcza and Die Presse.
Open Europe Director Neil O'Brien is quoted saying, "EU leaders who are trying to force Ireland to vote again are playing a very dangerous game, and it looks like Brian Cowen could be putting his political life on the line by calling a second vote. By appearing to bully the voters, EU politicians are actually driving lots more people into the 'no' camp." Neil was also interviewed on Irish radio RTE.
The Irish government yesterday accused Open Europe of "meddling" in the Irish debate, claiming the poll was "biased" and "not credible". Speaking during a debate with Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally on Irish radio Newstalk, Europe Minister Dick Roche claimed the suggestion that Nicolas Sarkozy was reported to have said there should be a second referendum was "complete nonsense." He denied there had ever been any suggestion of a second referendum, saying: "you're making it up as you go along." He said the poll should be taken with "large sugar spoonfuls of salt", claiming that Open Europe had a "europhobic attitude".
This morning Lorraine Mullally appeared on RTE's Morning Ireland programme, to discuss the reaction to the poll, and argued that the Irish government was attempting to divert attention from the results.
Meanwhile, Eamon Gilmore, the leader of Ireland's Labour Party, said the concerns over the slowdown in the Irish economy should take precedence over any talks on Europe. Despite supporting the Lisbon Treaty, he said there should not be any discussion on having a second referendum. He said: "We've had a referendum, we've had a decision. We have to accept that decision. If you were to have a second referendum again on the Lisbon Treaty, in my opinion, you'd get the same result."
Chairwoman of the People's Movement, former Green MEP Patricia McKenna, accused Government ministers of double standards, saying "There was no concern expressed about outside interference when the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU vice president Margot Wallstrom came here to urge us to vote Yes. It's a bit late for the Government minister to be taking the moral high-ground now."
She said: "Our Government has never complained about polls commissioned by the EU political establishment. But because other interested parties, who have a different agenda, commission opinion polls on our attitude to Lisbon it just not acceptable." She added: "At least the results of these polls have been made available to the public. The Government on the other hand have decided to use taxpayers' money to mount extensive confidential polls to clarify the reasons underlying the referendum result and intend to withhold the results from the public. A Government that intends using our money to try and find out how to manipulate our minds when preparing for the next referendum has no moral authority to criticise the motivation behind any opinion polls."
The Irish government has initiated high-level contact with the two main opposition parties to discuss the formation of an all-party body on the Lisbon Treaty. AFP reports that Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said in an interview with Austrian newspaper Kurier that Irish voters might rethink their opposition to the EU Treaty if European leaders reassured them on key issues. In the Irish Independent, John Drennan argues that Brian Cowen "needs to leave whatever attic he is hiding in and come out this September, swinging the big stick of a 'back me or sack me' surprise Lisbon referendum."
Irish Times Irish Independent Sunday Express RFI EUobserver AFP Times Belfast Telegraph RTE Pravda SK Adevarul Irish Times Le Point Irish Independent leader EUobserver Sunday Express Young Irish Times Hennessy Spiegel Die Presse NZZ Morning Ireland Irish Independent AFP NRC Handelsblad Le Figaro Gazeta Wyborcza Sunday Express L'Express Le Monde Sunday Business Post Observer
Open Europe poll: press release Open Europe poll: full results
EU trade negotiators move to appease Irish beef farmers
The FT reports that EU and US negotiators have offered more temporary work visas for skilled professionals in a bid to maintain momentum in the Doha round of trade talks. It is widely reported that a resolution has been found in the long-running banana dispute between the EU and Latin American countries. "The 16-year-old bananas wars are finished. We can finally leave behind the most difficult dispute in the history of the GATT and the WTO," Costa Rica's WTO ambassador Ronald Saborio Soto told Reuters. However, the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) trade grouping have said the banana plan was unacceptable as a result of fears of preference erosion. Officials involved in the talks warned yesterday that a deal was far from done on liberalising agricultural and industrial goods, the main part of the talks.
Padraig Walsh, President of the Irish Farmers Association, has said that EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson was acting as a "British Government proxy" to destroy European agriculture. "Mandelson and the British Government are using the WTO negotiations to achieve the same result, with the aid of Brazil and South American interests," he said.
However, the Irish Times reports that Mandelson has denied "selling out" Irish farmers. The article notes that EU negotiators have placed special conditions on the sensitive issue of beef imports, proposing that tariff cuts for this product will be lower than for other farm goods, and that 45 per cent of those imports resulting from the reduced tariff will be lower grade meat that will not compete with Irish high quality beef exports to other EU states.
According to the Irish Independent, Fine Gael agriculture spokesman Michael Creed said he believed the Irish government had been cowed by the result of the Lisbon referendum, and would therefore be reluctant to threaten a veto of the world trade deal as a result.
Writing in the Irish Times, Alan Matthews has criticised the Irish Farmers' Association's "apocalyptic" vision of any proposed WTO deal. Matthews argues that a new WTO deal would benefit Ireland and adds that while "Every interest group has the right to state its case... IFA figures bear no relationship to any likely reality".
The FT Magazine had an in-depth article about the CAP. The article highlights the intransigence of the agricultural lobby throughout the EU's history, but also details recent attempts by some farmers to diversify the industry and the difficulties inherent in any attempt at reform.
FT Irish Times Matthews Le Figaro FT Sunday Telegraph The Times Telegraph Irish Independent Irish Times BBC EUobserver Euractiv
Irish government considers joining new EU battlegroup
As part of the new EU battlegroup system, the Irish government is considering entering a military formation with the armies of Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Austria. The EU battlegroups are a new system under which European armies commit troops to a common force or battlegroup. Irish Defence Minister Willie O'Dea has been holding talks with the other countries discussing the possibility of switching from the Nordic to the German-led battlegroup, although he has reportedly told his Austrian counterpart, Norbert Darabos, that it was still too early for Ireland to commit to the German-led battlegroup or to commit to continuing with the Nordic battlegroup.
European court to hear women's challenge to ban on abortion
The European Court of Human rights will hear the case of three Irish women who are challenging the government's ban on abortion. In being forced to terminate their pregnancies outside of the state, the women argue that the current laws threatened their well-being and health. Their complaint centres around four articles in the European Convention on Human Rights, including protection from "inhuman or degrading treatment". The Irish Family Planning Association, which is supporting the women's case, says it could bring about a change in the law, just as the 1988 Norris case resulted in the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
The Irish government is withdrawing its support for current EU biofuel targets, saying that it is "bad policy".
Italy extends state of emergency over immigration
Silvio Berlusconi's government is facing criticism over the declaration of a national state of emergency to deal with immigration. On Friday Interior Minister Roberto Maroni argued that the controversial measure was aimed at "intensifying efforts to combat and control the [immigration] phenomenon", and would include increasing the number of intake centres across the country - labelled "centres for identification and expulsion". The new measures come shortly after the government passed controversial new laws making undocumented migration a criminal offence. The country's centre-left opposition have accused the government of encouraging xenophobia.
EU internet proposals raise civil liberty fears
Civil liberty groups across Europe are claiming that the "telecoms package" due to go before the European Parliament in September will significantly infringe on individual freedoms and breach the fundamental principles of human rights in Europe. The legislation will force ISPs to hand over vital personal information about their customers to their governments, in an attempt to crack down on illegal downloads of music and films across the EU.
Burnham: UK will lobby Brussels for special conditions on football
The UK's Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Burnham, has declared himself willing to lobby Brussels in an effort to reduce the numbers of foreign players in English football leagues. In an interview with The Times, Mr Burnham said, "I'm not xenophobic in any way but I care about the health of English football, the state of the grassroots game, the quality of the competition and the ability to win of the national team." Football's world governing body, FIFA, has proposed a quota system to promote home-grown talent but such a system would fall foul of the EU's free movement of workers laws. However Mr Burnham insisted he would support a FIFA agreed blueprint in the face of EU opposition: "I would be quite prepared to go to Europe and say 'this is our proposal let's see if we can get clearance for this'. The debate is around applying EU law sensitively."
Meanwhile, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Christopher Booker has criticised the way the free movement of labour rules have affected cricket. While English Counties are officially only allowed one non-English player, EU laws allow this rule to be routinely flouted. Until recently even non-EU players were covered by the EU if their home country had a trade agreement with the EU. The "Kolpac" ruling of 2004 saw 40 Caribbean and South African players playing for English Counties this season as EU-qualified players.
FT: euroscepticism is strong political force in UK
A feature in the FT Magazine argues that the Lisbon 'no' vote in Ireland has led to the resurgence of UK euroscepticism. It argues the prospect of a Conservative Government means that David Cameron has to recognise the phenomenon of scepticism towards the EU, and develop a successful approach as it is "a political force that he will do well to contain."
Macedonia's EU ambitions face resistance from Greece
Macedonia's new centre-right government has vowed to make EU membership a top priority. However, these ambitions are hindered by a persisting deadlock in the country's 'name row' with Greece, irrespective of any future progress on Macedonia's internal deficiencies.
Paddy Ashdown has warned of a possible break-up of Bosnia, and has criticised the EU for adopting a complacent attitude towards the Balkans.
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