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Will the EU Lisbon implementation Doc be revealed before the vote?

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  • 11-06-2008 1:45am
    #1
    johnnyq
    Closed Accounts Posts: 641 ✭✭✭


    For those who don't know:
    Irish Times wrote:
    At a meeting of the committee in Brussels on Wednesday, Mr Dehaene requested that the report not be disclosed until after the Irish referendum on June 12th. Ireland is the only member state to hold a referendum on the treaty.

    Christophe Beaudouin, a French lawyer who attended the meeting, said Mr Dehaene told the committee the report should be made available after the referendum because "we should not give this argument to the Irish No campaign"....."Mr Dehaene cannot recall how exactly he phrased it in the meeting but he made the point that it is only fair to wait for the results of the referendum on a treaty before you start discussing how to implement that treaty," she said. "He said they didn't want to interfere in the referendum because it would not be helpful to do so."

    Given the leaks throughout the campaign about diplomats saying the treaty can be bought and the irish believe what their politicians tell them,
    and the BBC find about the French militarisation plans for their presidency starting in two weeks...

    What are the chances that this implementation doc will be leaked before the vote takes place on thursday. Since the meeting is scheduled for the following monday, is it likely we could get a hold of it in advance?


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    #2
    Scofflaw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    The idea that there is a single "implementation document" is, unfortunately, a fantasy. What there will be is discussion drafts of suggestions for implementation, covering all possible positions and opinions.

    Many of those will be extreme minority opinions, but nevertheless they would inevitably be seized on by No campaigners and touted as "the EU plan" - despite the fact that they would have no chance whatsoever of being agreed.

    In particular, the release of such discussion drafts would enable the eurosceptic groups in the Parliament (of which SF and Kathy Sinnott are members) to write their own opinions in, and then acclaim them as "the plan".

    Enough has been done to muddy the waters in this referendum already, I think. I don't see any advantage in adding to it, although I can see why you do.

    regards,
    Scofflaw


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    #3
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    Scofflaw wrote: »
    The idea that there is a single "implementation document" is, unfortunately, a fantasy.

    According to you? If not, please disclose your source.


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    #4
    sink
    Registered Users Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭sink


    Rb wrote: »
    According to you? If not, please disclose your source.

    Well if you think about it there would have to be many implementation strategies drawn up. The Lisbon treaty merges the three pillars of the EU into one. There are 27 commissioner portfolios to be whittled down to a more concise 18. There is going to need to be a great expansion of the energy, environment, defence and judicial and policing departments. So it will involve many departments and thousands of mid and high civil servants are going to need to figure out what changes they need to make for their areas of responsibility. If your think about it there will probably be more pages on implementing the Lisbon treaty than there are pages in the entire encyclopaedia Britannica. To think they could fit it all in one document is asinine.


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    #5
    Rb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭Rb


    sink wrote: »
    Well if you think about it there would have to be many implementation strategies drawn up. The Lisbon treaty merges the three pillars of the EU into one. There are 27 commissioner portfolios to be whittled down to a more concise 18. There is going to need to be a great expansion of the energy, environment, defence and judicial and policing departments. So it will involve many departments and thousands of mid and high civil servants are going to need to figure out what changes they need to make for their areas of responsibility. If your think about it there will probably be more pages on implementing the Lisbon treaty than there are pages in the entire encyclopaedia Britannica. To think they could fit it all in one document is asinine.
    Then why would someone attending the committee meetings refer to one?


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    #6
    sink
    Registered Users Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭sink


    Rb wrote: »
    Then why would someone attending the committee meetings refer to one?

    Which committee exactly?


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    #7
    Scofflaw
    Registered Users Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    It doesn't really matter whether they managed to bind all the opinions into one physical document or not, despite Rb's worries. The point would remain that there isn't a single "implementation" plan, as implied by the OP.

    If there was a single plan, there wouldn't be a discussion document (or documents, whichever), would there? It's a rather transparent attempt to pretend that there's a "secret plan" - hereinafter called The Secret protocols of the Elders of the EU.

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


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    #8
    IRLConor
    Subscribers Posts: 4,075 ✭✭✭IRLConor


    Rb wrote: »
    Then why would someone attending the committee meetings refer to one?

    I can't access the original article without paying for it so I can't see the context.

    What committee is it referring to?

    Notice also that the quoted section above does not suggest that there is a single implementation document, only the thread title does.

    This:
    it is only fair to wait for the results of the referendum on a treaty before you start discussing how to implement that treaty

    does not in any way imply that a single document (or any document for that matter) exists. In fact, I'd be surprised if they were that far along.


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