Listen to your voters, Ahern urges EU leaders

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has urged European leaders to listen to their voters and to press ahead with their votes on the European Constitution in a "time of great uncertainty for the European Union".

Mr Ahern delivered his speech, "Europe - Our Common Future" at Berlin's Humboldt University where, five years ago, German foreign minister Joschka Fischer proposed a federal Europe based on a constitutional treaty and just days after French and Dutch voters rejected that treaty.

"We have all signed up to ratify the treaty and, in the absence of a change, that will continue," said Mr Ahern. This was the view of government leaders he had spoken to, although they would have to bear in mind developments at the upcoming European summit.

"We should listen to our people. If we do so, I have no doubt that we will find the collective wisdom and resolve to chart the best course ahead," said Mr Ahern.

EU citizens were gripped by a "cynicism and mistrust" of the European Union based on uncertainty on economic and social issues, he said.

"The irony is that the European Constitution greatly strengthens the Union's capacity to protect and promote Europe's interests and those of its workers in the global marketplace," he said.

"We need to convince the citizens of Europe that the EU is working hard to deal with economic and social issues." EU leaders needed also to work to "optimise the benefits of our internal market, including the market in services."

In his Humboldt speech five years ago, Mr Fischer proposed a constitutional treaty for Europe, but warned that it could only be achieved after the "political re-establishment of Europe" into a federal structure with its own legislative and executive power.

Mr Ahern praised Mr Fischer's foresight on the constitution yesterday but said parts of his argument remained "too ambitious, or too integrationist".

"People who go for 100 per cent integration will, in my humble opinion, divide Europe far more," said Mr Ahern. After his speech, Mr Ahern was the dinner guest of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the Chancellery, discussing the aftermath of the French and Dutch votes and the upcoming summit.

Mr Schröder's guest tomorrow is French president Jacques Chirac, on an emergency visit to Berlin. "The crisis surrounding the ratification of the European Constitution cannot be allowed to become a general European crisis," said Mr Schröder yesterday.