International press release 2008-10-03

After an extraordinary meeting in the social democrat party group on 2nd of October in the Swedish parliament the party president Mona Sahlin expressed to the Swedish Radio 3 October “a prompt yes to the EU’s contested Lisbon Treaty”. She made the announcement after a group of more than 10 member of Parliament had declared that they intended to vote no to the Treaty, if not complete guarantees to safeguard the Swedish collective agreement system were available.

Among the critical parliamentarians were two former ministers Leif Pagrotsky and Morgan Johansson, but also Bo Bernhardsson, Peter Hultgren and Börje Vestlund. In addition the president of the Swedish Building and Construction Trade Union, Hans Tilly, today requested the social democrat party group to say NO to the Lisbon Treaty.

But Mona Sahlin is unconditional and unreasonable. She says that “we will vote yes to the Lisbon Treaty irrespective when the voting will take place in the Parliament”. Earlier the Minister of European Affairs Cecilia Malmström has officially declared that the parliament will vote yes on 20th November. But the government needs the votes from the social democrats. Sahlin adds that “the Treaty should not be kidnapped. It is better than the old one, and it will get a yes from us, the social democrats”.

According to the reporter the message from Sahlin must be very welcome by the government and the prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. For Reinfeldt a no to the Treaty would be very disastrous as Sweden will uphold the presidency of EU in the second half of 2009.

Mona Sahlin expresses herself contrary to her better judgment. A clear majority of the members of LO trade union are in favour of a referendum of the Lisbon Treaty and request that the Swedish collective agreement system should be guaranteed. In addition Sahlin statements mean that she overruns the decision of the LO trade union congress in June, claiming absolute guarantees to safeguard the national collective agreements before a ratification of the Treaty. This was also what all the EU establishment guaranteed before Sweden became a member in 1995.

The People’s Movement No to the EU urges the social democrat parliamentary party group to disrespect their party leader, and that all trade unions and true democrats directly protest against her undemocratic statements. Her e-mail address is: mona.sahlin@riksdagen.se

Jan-Erik Gustafsson
Chairman
People’s Movement No to the EU in Sweden