Interview: Irish politicians 'failed' to explain EU treaty[fr][de] 

Speaking to EurActiv in an interview, Goulard countered claims that Irish voters were being ignored when EU leaders called for the ratification process to continue, saying the Lisbon Treaty itself came as an answer to the institutional crisis triggered by the rejection of the draft EU Constitution in 2005.

"I don't believe that the Irish rejected everything in the treaty," she told EurActiv, suggesting that a "declaration" could be added to the text on issues of importance to Irish voters such as defence, abortion and tax sovereignty.

She also referred to the possibility of reaching agreement over "a kind of derogation" on some issues, as was the case in 1992 when Denmark was offered an opt-out from the euro currency following the rejection of the Maastricht Treaty in a referendum.

National politicians should be held accountable

Goulard also called on Irish politicians to face up to "their responsibilities" by coming up with solutions to the crisis. "We are again witnessing an amalgam where critics say Brussels irritates, that people do not want Europe, when in fact the people responsible for this slip are rather to be found in the national capitals."

"We had a prime minister who said he had not read the treaty, an Irish European commissioner who said the same," she pointed out.

And if Irish voters were being made to believe that the treaty influences Ireland's sovereignty on abortion, defence or tax policy, it is because Irish politicians failed to explain the text properly, which was considered by voters to be too complex.

"These issues were not considered in the treaty," Goulard points out. "We can therefore measure how much the Irish political class failed in its mission to explain [the treaty]."

Second vote inevitable after clarification

In Goulard's view, a second vote is therefore inevitable, once clarifications have been made on contentious issues. "All those who say there are miracle solutions are individuals who are locking Europe in a status quo," she said.

And in the event that a second 'no' comes out, she believes a group of vanguard countries should take the lead and go ahead. "One should not eliminate this perspective and this necessity. We are objectively in a situation where, if the European Union remains stalled in the sorry institutions of the Nice Treaty, it loses all hope of being heard on the world stage."

"I wish that we can move forward with 27 [countries]. However, it is no longer acceptable that minorities impede the functioning of the European Union wished for by a majority."

But she insisted that a treaty is necessary, at least for practical reasons. "Everybody agrees that institutions should be reformed," she said, referring to the 2009 European elections, for which the number of MEPs has to be scaled down to take past and future EU expansions into account. "We tried a first time and it didn't work, we then obtained this very difficult compromise on the Lisbon Treaty," she recalled. "We have ten years of discussion behind us."

"It seems perfectly normal that all European countries can give their opinion," she continued, saying today's prevailing logic is "one of dialogue, not avoidance".

To read the interview in full, please click here.