The Nice Treaty is "imperfect" but will benefit Ireland and the Eastern European states set to join an enlarged EU, Labour Party leader Mr Ruarí Quinn said today.
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Leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruarí Quinn
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Launching his party's campaign for a "Yes" vote for the treaty, Mr Quinn said it would "cement the growth of democracy and human rights" in the applicant countries.
Mr Quinn said today Ireland had "prospered socially, culturally and economically" from EU membership, saying the same opportunities should not be denied the 12 applicant states of Central and Eastern Europe.
"To those on the left I would say that the case for solidarity doesn't end at home. I believe that the peoples of the applicant states believe that membership of the European Union will cement the growth of democracy and human rights in historically what has been the most unstable of Europe's regions," Mr Quinn said.
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Those calling for a renegotiation of the treaty have "William Hague and his xenophobic Conservative Party" as their only allies in Europe, he said.
"My party has never pretended this treaty is perfect. But there is only one treaty up for ratification on June 7th. It is the imperfect result of negotiations between 15 member states but the secure future of the applicant states depends upon its ratification."
PA