Vol. 445 No. 9
77 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the position regarding the Treaty of Accession signed by the four present applicants for membership of the European Union if one or more of the applicant countries decide by referendum not to proceed with the application for membership of the Union; and if it will be necessary to renegotiate a Treaty of Accession with such of the applicants as decide to proceed. [1433/94]
The Treaty providing for the accession to the European Union of Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway was signed in Corfu on 24 June, 1994, by the member states of the European Union and by the four accession countries. Under the terms of the Accession Treaty the member states of the European Union and the four accession countries undertake to complete their ratification procedures by 31 December, 1994. The Treaty will enter into force on 1 January, 1995, for all four accession countries and these countries will become members of the European Union provided that their instruments of ratification and those of the existing member states have been deposited before that date.
However, Article 2 of the Accession Treaty has addressed the possibility that not all the accession countries will be in a position to ratify the Accession Treaty by 31 December, 1994. In the event of an accession country being unable to ratify, the Council of the European Union, acting unanimously, is permitted to make the necessary adjustments to the Accession Treaty to take account of this. The Accession Treaty will enter into force for those accession countries that can ratify. It will not be necessary to renegotiate the Accession Treaty.
Ireland's ratification of the Accession Treaty providing for the accession of Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway involves, inter alia, an amendment to the European Communities Acts, 1972 to 1993 and passage through the Dáil of a resolution approving the terms of the Accession Treaty. The European Communities (Amendment) Bill, 1994, which was published at the beginning of August, will be debated in this House shortly.
