European Fiscal stability treaty referendum Ireland vote

Sceala Clann T.D. Location: Longford

The people of Ireland are to have a vote in a referendum to approve or reject European Fiscal stability treaty.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told the Dáil that a referendum will be held on the Fiscal Stability Treaty, following advice from the Attorney General.
Mr Kenny said it would be in Ireland's interest if it was approved, saying it would be an important step in rebuilding the economy and our reputation.
It will also be an opportunity to reaffirm Ireland's commitment to membership of the euro, he said.
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This is world news, the Irish people's decision will make or break the treaty, possibly the €, even EU itself.

The Wall Street Journal.
2ND UPDATE: Ireland To Hold Referendum On EU Treaty -Irish PM

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Ireland calls vote on European treaty
Financial Times -
Dublin will hold a referendum on the eurozone fiscal treaty, plunging Europe into months of uncertainty and potentially placing a question mark over Ireland's future membership of the euro

Ireland to Hold Vote on EU Fiscal Compact
Bloomberg

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CanadianBusiness

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European Voice -
Ireland will hold a referendum on the fiscal compact treaty, Enda Kenny, the Irish prime minister, said today. Kenny told the Irish parliament this afternoon that he had received advice from the attorney-general that a referendum should be held.
The Taoiseach will sign the Fiscal Compact Treaty on Friday and arrangements for a vote will be made in the coming weeks.

Mr Kenny said the advice of the Attorney General at this morning's Cabinet meeting was that on balance a referendum should be held.
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The Attorney General had expressed the belief that the treaty was a unique instrument outside the EU Treaty architecture and that on balance a treaty was needed to ratify it.

Both Mr Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said they were confident the Irish people would endorse the treaty.

Mr Gilmore said the referendum would come down to a vote for economic stability and recovery.

Opposition welcomes announcement

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he welcomed the decision to hold a referendum and said it was the right approach to take.

In the Dáil, Mr Martin said his party would be supporting the endorsement of the treaty.

He said the people have a right to decide and questioned whether the Attorney General needed to have been consulted at all.

He also said it will only pass if it is presented as a series of measures to promote jobs and growth.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said he welcomed the announcement, but said it marked a failure for the Government because he said the Coalition wanted to avoid such a vote.

He said it was an austerity treaty, will not help recovery and will condemn people to austerity.

Independent TD Shane Ross said he also welcomed the fact that a referendum will be held.

Mr Ross said it was a fiscal pact on austerity and was dictated by the French and Germans without any input from Ireland.

He also said it was a road we should not go down and the debt reduction has to be tied into the ratification process.

Under the terms of the intergovernmental treaty, due to be signed in Brussels on Thursday, only 12 countries need to ratify the pact for it to come into effect.

Should Ireland reject the treaty, it will remain outside the pact, but it will also be precluded from any future funding should Ireland need a second bailout.

A senior EU source said that even if Ireland were to reject the treaty, there would be no question of Ireland leaving the euro.

German MEP surprised at referendum

A senior German MEP has told RTÉ News he is surprised the Government has decided to call a referendum because the intergovernmental treaty "did not involve a transfer of sovereignty of the country".

Elmar Brok MEP, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU Party, said the fiscal compact "doesn't change anything".

He said it was a question of implementing the rules everyone had already - years ago - signed up to when they became members of the euro.

"I'm confident the Irish people will vote yes because this does not change anything. It's a method (so that) rules which are undersigned, which have to be fulfilled by the Treaty of Lisbon and even earlier by the Treaty of Maastricht, can be implemented."

Mr Brok said that without the solidarity from other EU countries there would have been "a big crash" in Ireland, as in other countries.

He said that as a result of the combination of austerity measures, structural changes and "growth projects," Ireland would be stronger afterwards.

When asked what would happen if Ireland rejected the Treaty he said: "If the treaty falls... it might lose credibility for Ireland, I don't know how the markets will react to it, how the interest rates will be (for Ireland to borrow)."

However Mr Brok, who was recently elected chairman of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Chancellor Merkel would "trust" the Taoiseach and that the treaty would be passed.

"The Chancellor has a lot of appreciation for what the Taoiseach and the present government did, therefore she's confident this policy of success will continue and the Irish people will vote for it, and therefore she will trust the Taoiseach and that it will go well."
European Fiscal stability treaty referendum Ireland vote

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European Fiscal stability treaty referendum Ireland vote