19 June 2008

Plenary Meeting 16-19 June

The June plenary concentrated on the Irish "No" vote on the Lisbon Treaty ahead of the European Council. Commission President Barroso warned that treating the Institutions as a convenient scapegoat leaves fertile ground for populist campaigns.

The June plenary opened with a statement by Parliament's president Hans-Gert Pöttering on the Irish "No" vote on the Lisbon Treaty. He called on EU leaders meeting in Brussels for a summit on 19-20 June to ensure that the Treaty becomes a reality. He underlined that the ratification process must continue. He also told the House of the outcome of a recent delegation of MEPs to the Middle East. Poverty and exclusion and 40 years of the customs union also featured.

 

Mr Pöttering opened the session by saying that "the result of the referendum of 12 June 2008 in Ireland confronts the European Union with one of the most difficult challenges in its history". He went on to point out that "the Lisbon treaty is the answer to citizens' criticisms of the European Union. This treaty brings the European Union closer to its citizens". 

 

As to what he believes should happen now Mr Pöttering told the House that "it remains our goal to see the Lisbon treaty enter into force before the elections of June 2009 to the European Parliament".

 

The whole Parliament will debate the "No" vote in the Irish referendum on Wednesday morning ahead of Thursday and Friday's summit of EU leaders and heads of state. 

 

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso saw the vote as ‘a disappointment’ to all those in favour of a stronger, more efficient and accountable European Union and stressed that “the No vote did not solve the problems which the Treaty seeks to tackle”.

 

He pointed out that “when governments sign a Treaty, they assume a responsibility to have it ratified.”

 

Mr Barroso warned that “years of treating the European Institutions as a convenient scapegoat leaves fertile ground for populist campaigns. In the end, it only serves to make life easy for the euro-sceptics. As I said before, you cannot bash Brussels or Strasbourg from Monday to Saturday and expect citizens to vote in favour of Europe on Sunday.”

 

Press release Pöttering

Full speech Barroso

See also: EP press release

 

Draft Agenda