Press release from People’s Movement against EU in Denmark
A letter to the Irish Government

It is not you but the EU who has a problem

28th of August 2008

EU must respect the Irish NO. Accept that the Lisbon-treaty is rejected, states Ditte Staun from the Peoples Movement against EU to the Irish Government.

According to The Irish Times civil servants from the Irish Foreign Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office has visited Copenhagen to discus the technical and legal details in the Danish EU opt-outs from 1993.

The other governmental leaders try to make the Irish NO to the Lisbon Treaty to an Irish problem. Just like the Danish NO to the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 was made a problem for the Danish government. But this is making democracy a problem, says Ditte Staun who is a spokesperson for the People’s Movement in Denmark.

The reality is the opposite. The other governments have a problem when they do not dare to ask their populations. And in reality is it the EU who has the problem that the Lisbon Treaty is rejected. EU must respect the democracy and the Irish NO. It is not Ireland’s fault that EU does not understand it, says Ditte Staun.

It is the Danish experience that our opt-outs from 1993 have constantly been under fire since the beginning. So instead you should stand firm and defend the people’s decision, says the Peoples Movement in Denmark.

As the 08 Games begun we started recording many parallel activities:

• skirmishes in South Ossetia that could escalate to a full fledged war between Russia (playing for Russia) and Georgia (playing for NATO);

• European sportists were advised by the EP President to protest in favour of Tibet’s independence, no other politician from other continents defended the independence of any European state vis a vis the attempted Lisbon Treaty;

• Danish PM postponed the Danish referendum on their op-outs (logical, since there is no valid document to vote on it);

• while some europhiles still don’t get it (current analysis by the “Centre for European Reform”).

When will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?

Article from Jutarnji list:

Amongst the 1000 asked citizens of Croatia only 30% of them share the opinion that the membership in EU is “a good thing”, while 39% are “neutral” or think that “the membership is neither good or bad”.

Quite to the contrary Macedonians (FYROM) would gladly accept EU - 72% are in favour.

Croatia is one year away from technical closing of membership negotiations. Most pressure has been around ZERP (Law on Ecological and Fishing Belt) and around shipbuilding scandals. Also extremely mild attitude from EU against Serbia and its Hague tourists has been detrimental for the Croatian optimism.

In EU member states as Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia and Netherlands there are between 70% to 80% of those who see much larger benefits than negative aspects.

In lands like Hungary and Austria around half of the people sees EU as “more damage than benefits”.

In Croatia again only 44% believe that possible membership in EU will bring benefits, while 50% of Turks thinks the same for Turkey and in Macedonia(FYROM) 80% of those asked.

Cowen can’t veto for Irish farmers – it’s a pie in the sky

Experts confirm that its nonsense, when the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) promises to veto in WTO-negotiations. – He tries to deceive the Irish voters and farmers to vote yes to the Lisbon-treaty, states Søren Søndergaard from Peoples Movement in Denmark

The Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen promised last week, that he will veto in EU and WTO against any agreement that gives worse conditions for the Irish farmers, whereupon the Irish Farmers Association IFA decided to recommend a yes to the Lisbon-treaty.

Member of The European Parliament for The Peoples Movement in Denmark Søren Søndergaard were astounded that Brian Cowen could promise this, and asked the European Committee of the Danish Parliament to ask the Danish government if Cowen could do so. The Government’s deadline to answer is today, but still there is no answer. And the Government will not promise an answer today.

But the Irish voters and the Irish farmers deserve to get the facts out in the open. So The Peoples Movement in Denmark has asked several experts, which all agree that a veto in EU and WTO is in conflict with the current EU treaties – and it will not get better for the Irish farmers with the Lisbon-treaty, states member of the European Parliament for The Peoples Movement in Denmark Søren Søndergaard an concludes:

The picture is clear: Taoiseach Brian Cowen tries to deceive the Irish voters and farmers to vote yes to the Lisbon-treaty with a pie in the sky.

Professor of international economics at University of Copenhagen Søren Kjeldsen-Kragh is one of the experts, which the Peoples Movement in Denmark has asked. He states crystal clear:

It’s nonsense to claim that a single member of the European Union or the Prime Minister of such can veto in WTO negotiations. The European Union acts as a state in international trade negotiations such as the WTO negotiations. International trade negotiations are a supranational matter. The EU acts as one unit with the authorization, it has from its institutions.

Professor of international economics at the University of Roskilde Jesper Jespersen explains that if the negotiations are about products, there is no veto. He refers to the textbook “Policy-making in the EU”:

“Article 133 (ex Art. 113 EEC) grants exclusive powers for common commercial policy to the EU. Together with agriculture and competition policy, the common commercial policy (henceforth EU trade policy), was one of the major areas of Community competence granted in the original Treaty of Rome. The treaty provisions set out how member governments should cooperate in reaching common positions on trade. These provide for the Council of Ministers to authorize the European Commission, in consultation with the member states, to negotiate trade agreements, which the council then adopts under a qualified majority voting rule.”

Helen Wallace, William Wallace and Mark A. Pollack, Policy-making in the EU, Oxford University Press, 2005, page 379

For further information or comments, please contact:

• Søren Søndergaard, member of The European Parliament for The Peoples Movement in Denmark,
  Mobile phone 00 45 40 45 38 49. E-mail: soren@folkebevaegelsen.dk Office in Bruxelles: ASP 07F343, Rue Wiertz, 1047 Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgique-België.
  Phone 00 32 2 284 51 52. Fax 00 32 2 284 91 52.

• Søren Kjeldsen-Kragh, professor of international economics, phone 00 45 35 33 22 81 (at work), 00 45 39 64 40 43 (at home) and 00 45 26 39 39 64 (mobile phone).

• Ib Roslund, press officer for Peoples Movement in Denmark. Phone 00 45 35 36 36 40 / e-mail: ib@folkebevaegelsen.dk

Events across 16 European countries dedicated to the referendum in Ireland

Østbanegade, 21 in Copenhagen today from 3 PM to 4 PM

Ireland is the only member state to grant its citizens a vote on the so-called Lisbon Treaty (the Reform Treaty). The referendum is to be held on 12th June and is a stimulus for organisations all across Europe to point out the democratic shortcomings of the ratification process of the treaty in every other member state.

Under the slogan “Congratulations Ireland”, 12 Danish organisations congratulate the Irish people on their say in front of the Irish embassy in Copenhagen. The 12 Danish organizations represent many different views on the EU – for instance there are supporters of EU as well as organizations against EU and there are organizations from all sides of the political spectrum.

“We congratulate you on having a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, as that proves that your democracy is stronger than ours” says the spokesman of Social Democratic Network Europe Nicolas E. Fischer.

The 12 organizations will through the Irish ambassador Joe Hayes hand over a letter to the Irish people. In the letter the organizations congratulate Ireland and states:

“The entire process of carrying through the EU Constitution and the Lisbon Treaty has been characterized by heavy manipulation. You too are experiencing measures taken by the EU system aiming at limiting the objectivity of the debate in Ireland. One instance is the instructions within the EU system to avoid sensitive questions that will be influenced by the Lisbon Treaty.

You also experience threats as to what will happen if your referendum should result in a no to the Lisbon Treaty. But those are empty threats. You are entitled to decide for yourselves, and the rest of the EU must respect your choice and make common cause with you, regardless of the outcome.”

For more information please contact:

Nicolas E. Fischer, Social Democratic Network Europe: +45 23 22 44 82, fischer@zetnet.dk
Lave K. Broch, EU-critical Network of Social liberals: +45 28 92 21 27, lave@radikaleukritik.dk
Peter Westermann, Challenge Europe: +45 21 94 16 09, peterwestermann@gmail.com
Kenneth Haar, ATTAC: +45 23 60 06 31, kenneth@attac.dk

The English version of the letter is in Read more section below.

It must be that Wallstrom’s Ze Plan for more democracy includes further half-secretive ratifications. Yesterday and today we were pleasantly surprised by the Portugese and German ratifications:

Today Peoples Movement against EU and June Movement have demonstrated the broad and popular support to an appeal of referendum to the Danish Government and Parliament.

Besides referendums there exists a variety of political and legal tools to prevent unitaristic and homogeneous Europe to emerge. TEAM will try to collect and present some examples of the struggle against enforced political unification. First examples will be mainly describing legal aspects but we are always interested in learning new ways. You are invited to apply any of them or shape new ones within the practice of your national frameworks and then share your experience with us.

First story: Denmark and the ratification of the renamed EU-constitution

Denmark has had so far six referendums on EEC/EU of which the first was in 1972 when a majority voted in favor of joining the EEC.