John Bruton
Question:17 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the Danish Government's recent White Paper on the Maastricht Treaty in the context of the European Summit at Birmingham, England.
Written Answers. - Danish White Paper on Maastricht Treaty.
Eamon Gilmore
Question:39 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his response, if any, to the recent proposals put forward by the Danish Government for adjustments to the Treaty on European Union; if these changes are agreed; whether it will be necessary to hold a subsequent referendum in this country to approve the changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Jim O'Keeffe
Question:90 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he favours the enlargement of the European Community; if so, the time-scale he would favour for this enlargement; his views on the prospects for the Maastricht Treaty in the light of the Danish White Paper and the UK position; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:94 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the implications for Ireland of the latest Danish submission to the EC for consideration in the context of the Maastricht Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:96 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he expects to have discussions with his EC partners with particular reference to European integration having regard to developments in member states that have already ratified the Maastricht proposals, and the likely outcome in the remainder; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 39, 90, 94 and 96 together.
The Danish Government White Paper — which in Irish terms is equivalent to a Green Paper — was published on 9 October. It analyses the situation following the outcome of the Danish referendum last June and sets out the options which Denmark could follow in order to resolve the problems caused by the Danish vote on the Maastricht Treaty. The White Paper did not contain specific proposals.
On Friday, 30 October, after consultation with the political parties in Denmark, the Danish Government set out its ideas for resolving the issues which arise for Denmark in relation to the Treaty.
The Government have just received this Danish paper. We are anxious to discuss the ideas in it with our partners; and the Danish Foreign Minister, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, has indicated that he intends to visit capitals to explain the proposals in greater detail. It would be be premature to react to the detail of the proposals pending these discussions. I can, however, indicate the general framework within which we will consider the Danish ideas.
First, I believe that it is in the interests of the Community and of Ireland to have the Maastricht Treaty ratified by all member states so that it will come into effect at the earliest possible date. Notwithstanding the difficulties that have been encountered since the conclusion of negotiations, the Treaty remains the best basis for the development of European Union which is very important to Ireland's political and economic welfare.
Second, the Treaty cannot come into effect until all Twelve member states ratify it. We are prepared to co-operate with Denmark in any steps that will facilitate Danish ratification so long as such steps uphold the Community's achievements and do not set back the dynamic of integration.
Third, the text of the Treaty signed at Maastricht on 7 February, and to which reference is now made in our Constitution, cannot be renegotiated. At the recent Birmingham European Council all Heads of Government reaffirmed the importance of concluding the ratification process without reopening the present text.
Fourth, we will want to ensure that any additional agreements required to meet Danish concerns and to help Denmark ratify do not run counter to our interests or our basic policy.
These are the principal considerations that will guide the Government in the discussions with the Danish Government and our other Community partners in the period ahead. Foreign Ministers of the Twelve have been asked by Heads of Government to examine the Danish ideas and to report on them to the Edinburgh European Council with a view to agreement there on the framework for a solution. I can assure the House that we will be making a full contribution to these discussions.
There is a connection between the ratification process and the question of enlargement. Ireland, together with its EC partners views the Community, and the Union towards which it is evolving, as fundamentally open to qualified new members. This was most recently given expression in the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council. It was agreed on that occasion that the European Economic Area Agreement had paved the way for opening enlargement negotiations with a view to an early conclusion with EFTA countries interested in membership of the European Union. As to time-scale it was envisaged that official negotiations would open after the Treaty on European Union was ratified and agreement was reached on the Delors II package.
There are other applications for membership pending and more are expected in the coming years. It would be premature to speculate at this juncture on a possible time-scale for such further enlargement. The European Council in Lisbon noted the challenges that would be posed by a Union composed of a large number of member states and saw the need for parallel progress as regards the internal development of the Union.