The Irish have an “appetite for a permanent connection” with the EU and this is proven by the fact that 80 per cent of people want Ireland to retain an EU commissioner.
This is the view of Galway East TD Noel Treacy, who was commenting on the findings of a recent study. He said last year’s No vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum “caused many across Europe to wonder whether Ireland’s commitment to, and influence in, the union was wavering”.
Dep Tracey said the second referendum in October is an “opportunity to send a powerful signal that nothing could be further from the truth”.
He said: “By saying yes to Lisbon, by reasserting solidarity with our partners, and by fully implementing Lisbon’s enhanced role for the Oireachtas in EU affairs, Ireland can resume its place in the vanguard of the European Union.”
Dep Tracey said Ireland’s EU membership has “never been more important” in these times of international credit crisis, climate change, and energy security.
“The European Union offers Ireland the best possible means by which to protect our interests,” he said, “and to influence the shaping of global policies and their impacts
