The Government will strongly resist any attempt to end the State's automatic right to a full European Commissionership and will consider exercising a veto on the matter if necessary, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, signalled last night.
In a strong warning to other member-states favouring such change, Mr Ahern said it was "essential" that each country retained a full Commissioner. He rejected the argument that a limit should be set on the overall number of Commissioners at the EU table.
With European enlargement and the possibility of up to 12 new states joining the European Union over the next decade, some of the larger member-states are in favour of dropping full Commissioners for every country. The matter is on the agenda of the intergovernmental conference.
In a keynote speech on future prospects for Ireland and the EU, delivered to the Institute of European Affairs in Dublin last night, Mr Ahern said he could not envisage a situation whereby Ireland would forgo the right to nominate a Commissioner. "I say this in the full knowledge of the role, wholly independent of home governments, which Commissioners must discharge," he said.
Mr Ahern said he rejected the argument that a limit be set on the overall number of Commissioners on the basis of efficiency "particularly when many governments in larger countries have cabinets of 25, 30 members or more".
He added: "We cannot be bringing the Union closer to its citizens while at the same time seeking to remove what the public regard as one of the most tangible links it has with Brussels."
A Government spokesman said Ireland would consider exercising its veto if necessary. Mr Ahern said he was not entirely convinced of the need to reweight votes in the European Council. The decision-making procedures in the council were a delicate balance of the rights of member-states and of population factors, and it would remain important in the Union that sufficient weighting was given to each state.
Mr Ahern said Ireland would be prepared to consider some limited re-weighting in the context that larger member-states were prepared to give up their second Commissioner and support the right of each member-state to retain a Commissioner.
Mr Ahern warned that Ireland's increasing wealth and the gradual fall in structural funding brought the day closer when Ireland would become a net contributor to the EU budget.
"This impending change, a reflection of economic progress, will obviously require us to carefully assess the financial implications of the Union's current and future policies," he said.