The Lisbon Treaty is a positive step for the women of Ireland and will make Europe more open and equal, according to Labour Women’s International Officer Mary Flynn.
Speaking at the launch of the Labour Women Lisbon Campaign today, Ms Flynn said Europe would be more equal if the treaty was passed.
“The Lisbon Treaty has specific aims to combat social exclusion and poverty. It protects public service provision, and equality provisions are strengthened,” she said.
“Positive discrimination measures are allowed for under-represented groups. Finally, the Charter of Fundamental Rights is an equal part of the treaty strengthening our basic rights.”
Ms Flynn said if the treaty was rejected, the EU would have to operate under the Nice Treaty.
“Not only is the Nice Treaty simply not equipped for running an efficient Europe, but under the terms of the Nice Treaty we will definitely lose our Commissioner. The Lisbon Treaty is better than the Nice Treaty. Nice or Lisbon ? – that’s the choice,” she said.
Labour MEP Nessa Childers said she was supporting the treaty as a “woman and as a mother of two children.”
“The impact of EU membership on Irish women, on the equality agenda and in terms of the broadening out of economic, social and cultural opportunities have been incalculable," she said.
"Europe has had a positive influence on the lives of Irish women in two key ways. EU policies have transformed the landscape for Irish women in areas such as gender equality, equal pay and many other significant social policy areas."
“In addition, EU funding has laid the foundations for an enormously influential network of women’s groups, centres and resources which have acted as the catalyst for the training, education, upskilling and mobilisation of thousands of women who occupy positions of influence as community and civic leaders,” she added.