Taoiseach warns EU is now in 'uncharted territory'
Taoiseach Brian Cowen giving a press conference at Government Buildings last night after the Lisbon Treaty referendum was defeated.
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TAOISEACH Brian Cowen last night said there was "no quick fix" to the torpedoing of the Lisbon Treaty by the electorate -- but warned Ireland and the EU were now in uncharted territory.
"We have a very uncertain situation going forward, and colleagues are very confused," the Taoiseach said.
He revealed he had spoken about the result with EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Luxembourg Premier Jean Claude Juncker.
Mr Cowen said: "I appreciate the solidarity and support that they have shown to me personally", adding that he had also spoken to the Slovenian EU presidency. The Taoiseach must now travel to meet fellow EU leaders next week after yesterday's embarrassing reversal.
Advice
He said now was a time to reflect and listen to advice, saying he was not ruling out another re-run of the proposal, as happened with the Nice 2 campaign in 2002.
"I am not ruling anything in or out, up or down," a tired-looking Mr Cowen said on television. "I am going to have to reflect on what it is that's happened in the last 24 hours."
Mr Cowen said he believed people had voted 'No' for a myriad of reasons, although some of the matters were extraneous to the treaty, he claimed.
"I have not succeeded in this case in winning over a majority of people," he said, when pressed about what it meant for his own political credibility, having previously insisted that passage of the treaty was in Ireland's vital national interest.
"In a democracy, the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box is sovereign," he said. "The Government accepts and respects the verdict of the Irish people."
Disappointed
Nonetheless, he and his colleagues were disappointed, he said. "It is our duty now to reflect on the implications of this vote for Ireland, so that we can move forward and keep this country on the path of progress."
He said he was "extremely mindful" of Ireland's European partners "for whom this vote will represent a setback to many years of effort".
"Once again in Europe, a treaty supported by the leaders of all member states has been unable to secure popular support in a ballot," Mr Cowen said. Ireland is the only member state to have shot down two separate European treaties.
"We must not rush to conclusions. The union has been in this situation before, and each time has found an agreed way forward. I hope that we can do so again on this occasion," Mr Cowen said. "We need to pause and consider what happened. I led the campaign, and I have to take responsibility for the fact that it hasn't been successful."
- Senan Molony Deputy Political Editor
