FRANCE'S PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy is coming to Ireland on Monday to "listen and understand", he has said. "I need to understand the message that the Irish wanted to convey in voting No to a treaty signed by the representatives of the 27 member states," he told The Irish Times.
"I was one of the first European leaders to say publicly that the democratic decision of the Irish people should be respected," he said.
Mr Sarkozy insisted that "we are stronger together; Europe needs Ireland and Ireland needs Europe!" and that his hope "is that we will find a solution together that will allow the European family to remain united".
Responding yesterday to a series of written questions from The Irish Times, Mr Sarkozy rejected the idea that the other 26 member states could go ahead under Lisbon without Ireland, insisting that "I do not want a multi-speed Europe; that can only be a solution of last resort".
The brief visit, structured around a meeting and lunch with Taoiseach Brian Cowen, is an attempt by the French EU presidency to help craft a way out of Europe's post-referendum crisis ahead of the October summit.
But Mr Sarkozy has again made it clear he believes the Government's options are limited to working within the confines of the Lisbon Treaty, which he does not believe can be renegotiated. "I do not think that Ireland's 26 partners are willing to engage in a new Intergovernmental Conference [treaty renegotiation], nor do I think that this is what Europeans really want," he said.
Warning of the inefficiency of an "overmanned [ European] Commission", Mr Sarkozy expressed unease at the suggestion of reopening the issue of a permanent commissioner for every country, an issue that could be resolved without changing the Lisbon Treaty. But he conceded that "I do not wish to discount at this point any solution that would be compatible with the treaties, and acceptable to everyone."
He pointed out that Irish voters may have shot themselves in the foot by rejecting Lisbon in favour of the current Nice Treaty, which cuts the number of commissioners due to be appointed next year. "By rejecting the Lisbon Treaty, the Irish have risked losing their commissioner in 2009 rather than 2014."
As reports begin to emerge that the Government may be considering putting back a second referendum until autumn next year, Mr Sarkozy made clear that decisions about elections to the European Parliament will have to be taken much earlier.
He rejected any suggestion that he may be trying to impose a timeframe, but "Europeans need to know on what basis they will be electing their representatives to the European Parliament. These elections will be held in June 2009 and need to be organised several months in advance . . . whether the Nice Treaty remains in effect or the Lisbon Treaty enters into force, we must elect a new Parliament in June 2009 and appoint a new commission in October of the same year."
On the Irish No voters' message, he said he is "convinced that it was not simply because they wanted to keep the Nice Treaty. I think they actually wanted to express their concerns and criticisms regarding the way in which Europe works. We need to find the right ways to address these concerns and criticisms . . . That is why I have come to Dublin: to listen and understand."
Mr Sarkozy rejected any suggestion that the expansion of European defence policy is incompatible with Irish neutrality, pointing to Ireland's involvement in the peacekeeping operation in Chad under EU auspices. "I do not think that this compromises Ireland's neutrality and do not see how it could, because the decisions in this area are made and will continue to be made unanimously.
"The goal is simply to ensure that Europeans work together better and more efficiently, while respecting each other's choices with regard to defence," he said.
