Guardian 20 Giugno 2008

The Irish government has been given four months to devise a strategy resurrecting Europe's grand reform project, with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France suggesting that the Irish may have to stage a second referendum on the incendiary issue.

European leaders early this morning agreed to decide what to do about Ireland's rejection last week of the Lisbon Treaty at a summit in October. But French and German attempts to pile the pressure on Ireland by pushing all other 26 EU countries to ratify the treaty ran into stiff resistance from the Czechs who blocked agreement on a statement to be released today.

Sarkozy, who takes over the EU's presidency in 10 days' time, let it be known he wanted the 26 other member countries to ratify the Lisbon treaty as swiftly as possible. His foreign policy adviser said Ireland should rerun its ballot. Sarkozy also said there would be no further enlargement of the EU until the reform of the EU's institutions foreseen by the Lisbon Treaty were put into force.

Asked whether Ireland would need to stage a second referendum to resolve the impasse thrown up by last week's rejection, Sarkozy said: "Is it possible without a vote? To ask the question is to answer it."

As if to underscore that they are not totally preoccupied by the Irish no vote, EU leaders also agreed last night to scrap sanctions against Cuba. The sanctions, which include a freeze on high-level visits, were imposed in 2003 and lifting them is seen as an effort to encourage President Raul Castro into further reform. "Of course there is clear language on human rights, on the detention of prisoners and there will have to be a review also," said the external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

While Britain maintains that it is up to the Irish to decide how to proceed, France and Germany made plain that a rerun of the ballot was their preferred option for charting a way out of the crisis. But Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who met the Irish prime minister, Brian Cowen, on her own yesterday to explore the options, was careful to avoid any suggestion of bullying Ireland, after criticism of much more trenchant German statements this week.

Cowen said it was far too early to come up with proposals on a way out of the quandary, while Jose Manuel Barroso, the European commission chief, said the EU summit in October would be "the appropriate moment" to decide a plan of action. Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's foreign minister, said Ireland would need to have a second vote. "The question is, how can we prepare it so that it can be won."

Speculation is raging in Brussels over what might be promised to Cowen to make a second referendum a less distressing prospect. The treaty reduces the number of commissioners from 27 to 18, a change that has upset the Irish. Barroso said it would be "extremely difficult" to tinker with the treaty to make it more palatable (by guaranteeing the Irish a European commissioner permanently).

No one suggested the treaty should be scrapped. "We need [it]," Merkel insisted, calling for quick decisions and a fast solution. "Europe can't afford to have another phase of reflection."

That contrasted with Britain. "We do need a period of reflection," said a UK government official.

Source > Guardian.co.uk