Minister Micheál Martin stresses EU role in safeguarding and creating jobs

Speaking today at a briefing with foreign journalists who are visiting Ireland, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, T.D., stressed Ireland’s determination to remain at the heart of the EU and said that he saw ratification of the Lisbon Treaty as vital in this regard. Minister Martin told the journalists that that our EU membership plays vital role in creating jobs.   ‘A Yes vote on 2 October will banish any doubts that may exist in the minds of international investors about Ireland’s commitment to the EU.  This will represent an important contribution to our economic recovery’, Minister Martin said.

“Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty will be good for Ireland, maintaining and creating jobs as well as rights for Irish workers.  The Charter of Fundamental Rights is given Treaty status and contains many new protections for workers.

“Ireland is a small, open, export-driven economy and the free movement of goods and services has been at the very heart of our success over the past thirty-six years. Ireland is the fourth biggest exporting country in the European Union. It is this success which is safeguarding existing jobs throughout Ireland in both the indigenous and multi-national sectors.

“It is interesting that eighty-six per cent of the Irish CEOs consider ratification of the Lisbon Treaty to be either extremely important or very important for Ireland. Together with the tens of thousands of people they employ, they are creating the opportunities we all need for our future prosperity.

“The Lisbon Treaty is about improving the way Europe works and helping the Union to meet the challenges faced by all EU countries in the changing world of the 21st century”.

The Irish people have much to gain by ratifying Lisbon and I have every hope that the 2nd of October will become another landmark day in the highly positive story of Ireland’s EU engagement, which has helped to transform our country during the past 36 years.”

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14 July 2009
Press Office

Further information on the Lisbon Treaty is available on www.lisbontreaty.ie