Vol. 420 No. 3
141 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty includes the ratification of the Protocols attached to the Treaty; if the EC Council at Maastricht nominated a final date for ratification by member states; if so, if he will outline the date; and, if not, if he will outline the date the Government propose for ratification and for the consequential referendum.
The Treaty on European Union includes the text of the Treaty itself and of the Protocols attached to it. The Protocols are an integral part of the text of the Treaty and are subject to the same ratification process.
The Treaty (Article R) specifies that "the Treaty shall enter into force on 1 January 1993, provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited, or, failing that, on the first day of the month following the deposit of the instrument of ratification by the last signatory to take this step".
As far as this country is concerend it is the Government's intention to complete the necessary formal procedures to enable ratification of the Treaty by the end of this year. A referendum will be necessary to amend the Constitution so as to permit ratification. This referendum will be held on l8th June 1992.
