TOM SHEEDY,
Sir, - Anthony Coughlan (May 23rd) fails to acknowledge the historic significance of the Nice Treaty.
At Nice, the elected leaders of the existing 15 member-states negotiated, in the presence of and in consultation with the elected leaders of the countries of central and eastern Europe, on the changes that should be made to the way the European Union operates so it could function well as a Union of close to 30 states.
The treaty that resulted is the basis of the agreement between the existing members to expand the Union. If we reject the treaty that our Government negotiated, there is no assurance that the 15 member-states will quickly negotiate a new treaty for enlargement.
The big picture surely is that it is in the interest of all in Europe that the countries that have emerged from the period of post-war Communist domination should be included in the Union without delay. The EU has brought peace to its member-states and increased prosperity. It is not perfect but, by becoming more interdependent, states that fought each other twice in 30 years have made war between them unthinkable.
I believe that Ireland should vote for the Nice Treaty to ensure that the early entry of the applicants is not put at risk. As the Union supports their peaceful economic development, we also will benefit from increased opportunities to increase our trade with them. - Yours, etc.,
TOM SHEEDY, Malahide, Co Dublin.