Minister Roche calls for Irish support for the EU Reform Treaty

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr. Dick Roche T.D., today addressed the 27^th Annual MacGill Summer School and Arts Week on the importance of Reform in Europe.

Noting the challenges that currently face the Union, the Minister commented that serious reforms are required if the Union is to function effectively in the future:

“An expansion that we have just been through, and the possibility of future expansion, requires an improved institutional framework.  We need new ways of working if the Union is to function as effectively as it needs to do.  That is why we need the Reform Treaty.”

Minister Roche expressed his hope that Ireland would have a positive role to play in the reform process, stating:

“It is important for ourselves that we continue to play a positive role at the heart of the new European Union, and that we play that role with commitment and enthusiasm.”

He called on the citizens of Ireland to support the reform process in the upcoming Referendum:

“The Reform Treaty will facilitate Europe’s future success.  Uniquely we the citizens of Ireland will be asked to consent individually to the Treaty and to allowing Europe to take the next vital steps forward.  I hope our answer will be positive.”

In his address, Minister Roche also emphasised the importance of a Union that listens to its citizens: