MANY NEW EU members want to emulate Ireland's success, European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said yesterday, as he reassured voters that the Lisbon Treaty would not lead to any changes in the State's taxation laws.
Mr Barroso acknowledged that there was wide debate in Ireland about taxation policies under the Lisbon Treaty but stressed that Ireland will be able to preserve its economic model of development under the treaty.
"Firstly, the treaty of Lisbon makes no changes to the rules on tax policy; secondly, with unanimity needed for any new laws, nothing can be imposed against Irish will; thirdly, this is not a question of 'Ireland vs the rest'; other member states share the Irish position."
Mr Barroso said that Ireland was an example for Europe in terms of prosperity, competition, openness and innovation.
The commission president said he could remember how Ireland was much admired in Portugal for its economic miracle of the 1990s.
"Now, as president of the commission, when I travel to the new member states, their leaders, their citizens keep telling me that they want to follow the 'Irish miracle'.
"Your economic and social progress of the last 20 years shows how Ireland has benefited from European Union membership."
Mr Barroso, who was addressing students at University College Cork, said that Irish economic policies "far from going against the grain . . . are rather something that other parts of Europe want to follow".
The Lisbon Treaty will also enable member states to tackle the problem of climate change, he said.
Individual states are not able to effect significant change but European countries collectively can have a major impact, he said.
"Together, we have the critical mass to be the global leaders, showing others that you can have clean, smart economic growth which does not damage our planet," said Mr Barroso.
"The fight against climate change offers new opportunities for economic growth and for more and better jobs."
Later, Fianna Fail leader designate Brian Cowen told a party rally in Cork that Ireland's vote on the Lisbon Treaty would say a huge amount about how we saw ourselves as a country.
Speaking at the Cork International Hotel last night, Mr Cowen described the Lisbon Treaty as a call to action for every person who recognises the importance of the EU to Ireland.
"Fianna Fáil has always been and will always be committed to a vision of Ireland as a positive, outward-looking and modern European nation. The world isn't standing still and the European Union must continue to evolve," he told the party rally.
He said the EU had served as the enabler of social and economic progress and had given Ireland a level playing field on which to compete and win. "Improvements in working conditions and equality, for example, were driven by a model of European development which ensures that all members respect core standards and do not seek to achieve an economic edge based on unfair social practices."
If the EU did not exist what possible influence would Ireland have on issues fundamental to our ability to compete and prosper, he asked, adding that he was proud that modern Ireland had rejected the crude idea that you had to be either Irish or European.
He said Irish people understood that Europe was not "them" Europe is "us".