Green Party Demand Support for Charter on Fundamental Rights for Support of EU Treaty

The Green position on Europe has long been one of opposition. Since they opted to enter government last month speculation has been building here and elsewhere as to what the sticky issue of Europe will do to the government dynamic. Would they continue to oppose Europe? Embark on a volte face? Or would they fudge it? The agreement in Germany last week to present a reheated constitution stripped of the symbolism only turned the screw further on the party. Perhaps some within the leadership hoped this one could be put on the long finger until government had begun to pay dividends for the party.

That was not the case with Portugal expecting a summit in Autumn to pass what could be called the Lisbon Treaty. So what appeared as idle speculation comes to be more significant, just what will the Green position be on Europe? At the time they shunted their response, requiring time to consider the document and this evening the position of the Greens is being firmed up. Ciaran Cuffe issued a statement which suggests that the Green Party could only endorse the forthcoming reform treaty if Ireland adopted the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

This is a contentious issue for us as it seems likely that the UK will opt out of the rights charter in a piece of bargaining won at the summit in Germany. Ireland is torn between following our neighbours and going with the European flow as it were. It  seems unlikely that the government will split over the issue of an EU treaty so quickly into its lifetime but, as with other issues, the Green Party have a past history on this issue and it is one which the opposition will make full use of should they come out in support of the reform treaty. The issues around the fundamental charter of rights though, make this more interesting.

It has been reported that we are considering an opt-out from the charter, for reasons which weren’t specified and to many seemed a little odd. The day after the report was issued that Ireland may have reserved the right to opt-out, government sought to distance itself from the report. So perhaps there is a little bit more posture to this than meets the eye. Though I don’t doubt the Green party want the Charter fully supported in return for their backing in a referendum, perhaps the government were always planning to back it? Or perhaps they are wary of treading the ground (in consideration of common law?) without the British doing it too.

Perhaps we may get a bit of a showdown at cabinet as this issue comes to fruition in the midst of a leadership battle.