- Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP warns against complacency from the Yes side during the Lisbon Treaty campaign - We must sell to the Irish people the merits of the legal guarantees agreed by EU leaders last June which do address the concerns of the Irish people as expressed in last year's Lisbon Treaty referendum -


Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP and the leader of the Fianna Fail group in the European Parliament has today warned that the Yes campaign must not be complacent in any shape or form during the forthcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign.

Speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg today Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP said that " the legal guarantees secured by the Irish Government at the last meeting of EU leaders in June do address the concerns of the Irish people as expressed in last year's Lisbon Treaty campaign. But securing these legal guarantees in itself is not enough. We must sell the merits and benefits of these guarantees in a clear and forthright manner to the Irish people.

The fact that Ireland has retained the right to nominate a member to the European Commission at all times into the future does address this specific concern of many people who opposed the first Lisbon Treaty campaign because Ireland originally would only have a European Commissioner for ten out of every 15 years.

The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty will help the Irish economy to recover into the future. "

Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP delivered his first speech of this new European Parliamentary term during the debate on the Swedish Presidency of the EU in the Irish language today in Strasbourg.

July 15th 2009.

For further information, contact Dave Harmon at tel number:- 00-32-473-513-410.

ENDS.