By Martin Banks - 18th March 2009
This is anti-democratic and undemocratic
Declan Ganley
The anti-Lisbon treaty group Libertas claims the EU is "wasting" taxpayers' money trying to secure ratification of the treaty in Ireland.
The group says the commission has agreed to spend €1.8m on a campaign to "inform and educate" the Irish about the benefits of the treaty.
To highlight their concerns, Libertas staged a demonstration outside the commission's Brussels headquarters on Wednesday.
The protest came as Martin Territt, who heads the commission's office in Ireland, was meeting EU commissioners to discuss the next steps in Ireland's ratification process.
About 20 protesters, some dressed as the Grim Reaper, held up banners saying "no means no."
Declan Ganley, the Libertas founder, said the commission planned to "lavish" €1.8m of taxpayers' money on a campaign which,he said, was both unnecessary and wasteful as the Irish are "already very familiar" with the benefits of EU membership.
"This is anti-democratic and undemocratic. The treaty was resoundingly rejected and the decision must be respected," said Ganley.
He said that as part of its campaign, Ireland "should also expect a sudden rise" in visits from "Brussels elites" such as EU commissioner Neelie Kroes and EU foreign affairs supremo Javier Solana.
Outside the meeting, Jens-Peter Bonde, the former veteran Danish MEP who now advises Libertas, said, "I want to know what justification there is for such a mis-use of taxpayers' money.
"National governments can do what the commission is proposing to do. That is their job, not that of the commission."
Irish prime minister Brian Cowen will brief other EU leaders at this week's EU summit on the latest progress regarding a possible second referendum.
The most likely date for another referendum is the autumn.
Meanwhile, Libertas, which will be running candidates in all member states in June's European elections, says the commission is considering extending its mandate beyond the autumn until a referendum is held in Ireland.
"An extension of the mandate has no legal meaning whatsoever," said Ganley.
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