Ratificatie Verdrag van Lissabon voor Europese Parlementsverkiezingen 2009 (en)

Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee has called on the December European Council to reach an agreement allowing Ireland to ratify the Lisbon Treaty in spring 2009. The resolution, approved on Monday, invites the Irish government to put forward concrete proposals on the way forward after the referendum "no".

Approving a report drafted by Jo Leinen (PES, DE), by 16 votes in favour and 6 against, the committee reiterated its view that every effort should be made to ensure that the Treaty is ratified before the 2009 European Parliament elections.

Democratic rights

"If the Lisbon Treaty does not enter into force before the parliamentary elections next year, European citizens will be deprived of important new democratic rights in the EU", said rapporteur and committee chair Leinen before the vote. According to the approved resolution, the Lisbon Treaty, if ratified, would provide the Union with more effective tools to face the current financial and energy crises.

Ratify before June 2009 elections

A majority of members expressed the conviction that the Irish concerns that prompted the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty can be met without amending the text, as already ratified by 24 Member States. The committee called on Sweden and the Czech Republic to complete their ratification procedures before the end of 2008. They also called on the Irish authorities to put forward proposals to resume ratification. Mr Leinen commented: "There is no plausible reason why a second referendum in Ireland should be easier to win after the European Parliament elections then before."

Consequences of failure

Committee members also pointed out that if the Treaty is not ratified before the elections, then this would affect, inter alia, the composition of the new Parliament and Commission, the appointment of the Union's High Representative for foreign policy and the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. As for the Commission, under the current rules (i.e.the Nice Treaty), the number of Commissioners would be less than the number of Member States, whereas the Lisbon Treaty would allow this reduction to be postponed until 2014.

December Council

Looking ahead to the next European Council in December, MEPs called on the 27 heads of state and government to reach an agreement allowing the Irish government to resume the procedure for ratifying the new Treaty in spring 2009, and to ratify the text before the European Parliament elections in June.

The text approved by the committee will be put to a plenary vote just before the December Summit.

18/11/2008

In the chair : Jo LEINEN (PES, DE)

Procedure: Own-initiative

Plenary vote: December I (Brussels)