Cowen makes ‘no apologies’ for Irish EU treaty vote

Irish taoiseach Brian Cowen has said that although he regrets the outcome of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty, he makes “no apologies” for the result.

At the close of a summit of EU leaders on Friday, Cowen told journalists, “On a personal basis I regret the outcome of the referendum, since I was a strong proponent of the yes camp, but I make no apologies for the decision of the Irish people.

“The Irish people made a sovereign decision and it must be and is being respected.”

Cowen made the statement after revealing the summit’s conclusions on the outcome of the Irish no vote. EU member states have agreed to grant Ireland time to reflect and analyse the treaty rejection, and expect Cowen to put something on the table by 15 October, the date of the next EU summit.

Cowen also announced that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is to visit Ireland on 11 July to discuss the "political situation" arising from the treaty rejection.

“Sarkozy is coming under the French presidency of the EU and will discuss his programme, the outcome of the referendum and take soundings from us.

“It is our responsibility to conduct discussions with our fellow member states.”

Cowen was adamant that it was still too early to know how to move forward at this point, but stressed that his colleagues in the council agreed to respect the Irish decision on the treaty.

However, while he wouldn’t be drawn on whether there will be a second referendum on the treaty, he indicated that accommodating all EU member states would be tough and hinted that maintaining the status quo under Nice is not an option.

“Perhaps the room to manoeuvre is not as great as some would have you believe. It’s a 27-way street, not a two-way street,” he said.

“The continuation of the current [Nice] treaty means a reduction in the number of commissioners next year.

“It’s not possible for others to perceive a reform in the EU as set out in the [Lisbon] treaty without ratification by all member states. It’s a collective process we’re engaged in.”

He said that in October, the EU would come back to the consultations that he was now engaging in to try to find a “viable” way forward.

• Previous article
• Next article