Vol. 428 No. 1
95 Mr. Clohessy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when the Maastricht Treaty is likely to be ratified by the parties thereto; and the preparatory steps, if any, being taken by Ireland to implement the treaty on ratification.
The Maastricht Treaty will enter into force on the first day of the month following the deposit of the Instrument of Ratification by the last signatory to take this step.
As the Deputy is aware the ratification processes have not yet been completed in Denmark and the United Kingdom. The Danish people will be asked to vote in a Referendum on the Treaty on 18 May. The Bill to allow the UK to ratify the Treaty is going through the Committee Stage of the House of Commons. While all the relevant procedures have been completed in Germany there are a number of challenges to the Treaty which have to be heard by the German Constitutional Court. When the cases concerned have been heard by the court the German Government expects to be in a position to lodge the Instrument of Ratification. I hope that this ratification process will have been completed by all member states later this year and the Treaty will then come into effect.
