European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has said national parliaments will have a greater role to play in the EU under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty. .
President Barroso made his comments during a one-day visit to Ireland which comes just under two weeks before the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Mr Barroso, who was re-elected for a second five-year term as commission president on Wednesday, arrived in Limerick this morning where he was met at Shannon Airport by Minister Wiilie O’Dea and Minister Peter Power.
He later met members of the Committee on European Affairs in the first of a series of official engagements in the Limerick area.
During his address to the committee, Mr Barroso said: “I believe that your committee will have a very important role to play, after the referendum, in finding ways of informing the Irish public on an ongoing basis about how the EU works and what it does."
"I hope we can be partners in filling the information gap and helping people to feel connected to what goes on in the EU”.
Outlining areas where the treaty would facilitate increased political engagement by national parliaments with the European Union, Mr Barroso said it "recognises the contribution of national parliaments to European democracy" and how they "contribute actively to the good functioning of the Union".
He said the treaty would allow parliaments a say in the evaluation mechanisms for the implementation of EU policies in areas of "freedom, security and justice" and the "political monitoring" of 'Europol' - the European law enforcement organisation.
He said the treaty allows for participation in the evaluation of 'Eurojust' - a European body established in 2002 to enhance the effectiveness of authorities when they are dealing with the investigation and prosecution of serious cross-border and organised crime.
Mr Barroso added that parliaments would have the right to be notified of applications for accession to the Union, and will afford parliaments the right to issue a 'yellow' or 'orange card' if they feel that the union is acting beyond its competence.
He said: "I hope we can work together to persuade people that we have their interests and their concerns at heart and that the EU is a very positive force in their lives"
Mr Barroso's visit comes a day after he warned that Ireland could lose its right to nominate an EU commissioner if the Lisbon Treaty is rejected for a second time.
He predicted a No vote on October 2nd would create uncertainty about Ireland’s place in Europe, threaten jobs and investment, and damage the economy.
“Honestly, there are some doubts now about the future situation of Ireland. Some people have asked me: Is Ireland going to leave the EU? For investor confidence, it is important that there is certainty about the future of Ireland in the EU,” said Mr Barroso.
Mr Barroso said Ireland would not be forced to leave the union in the event of a No vote. But he said not all audiences understood how the EU worked, citing the example of US firms asking him if Ireland would stay in the EU. “Perceptions count in politics . . . I tell you this very frankly. I believe confidence is part of the economy, as we have been seeing recently,” he said.
He told The Irish Times a No vote could also result in Ireland losing its automatic right to nominate a person to the commission, the EU executive branch that proposes new legislation and manages the EU budget.
“The only way to ensure that Ireland will always have a commissioner is to vote Yes to Lisbon. If not, of course we have to reduce the amount of commissioners. This is in the current treaties and we are legally obliged to do it,” said Mr Barroso in a reference to the Nice Treaty, which stipulates the number of commissioners must be less than the number of member states.
To accommodate Irish concerns following the first No vote last June, EU leaders agreed to invoke a clause in the Lisbon Treaty that would enable the commission to remain at 27 members. But the current EU treaties do not have this clause, which would prompt an immediate institutional problem if the Irish people vote No a second time and Lisbon cannot enter into force.
Mr Barroso said there was no agreement yet on a proposal by Sweden to allow 26 member states to retain a commissioner and give the 27th country the right to appoint a new EU high representative for foreign affairs. “There are different scenarios. Some people say we should have a commission of 15 members. It’s too soon to speculate,” he added.
Mr Barroso said he was not threatening the Irish people, but wanted to put across his honest and frank assessment of the consequences of a second No.
“We respect the vote of the Irish people. It has to be very clear that we are making no threats at all. I don’t want to put any kind of pressure on people. It’s up to each Irish citizen to make his or her decision,” he said.
He said the referendum campaign should be based on facts, not fears. “I don’t like racism or this type of campaign that is based on falsehoods and scaremongering. This is fanatical and should be condemned,” said Mr Barroso, when asked about the campaign led by the British party UKIP.
He said he had heard of No campaigner Declan Ganley but declined the Libertas leader’s invitation to debate the treaty. “I’m going to debate with elected politicians and with citizens in Limerick,” he said.
Mr Barroso said Irish people had benefited enormously from EU membership and made a very important contribution to Europe. He said they had good economic, political and pragmatic reasons for voting Yes. He rejected criticism he was interfering in a national debate.
“The European Commission has not only the right but a duty to inform, as any public authority. I believe we would be criticised if we were not informing citizens of what we are doing and about the reality of Europe,” he said.
Mr Barroso is also meet Mayor of Limerick Kevin Kiely and representatives of local community groups at the City Hall today before attending an open discussion forum with students at Limerick University. He also spoke on the role of women in the future of the EU at a meeting organised by women’s NGOs at the Savoy Hotel.