Ireland gets opt-out clause in EU rights charter

[David Cochrane]

The Government has been given the right to "opt out" of key provisions designed to boost human and civil rights within the new EU "reform treaty", it has emerged.

EU officials confirmed last night that Ireland and Poland had both sought to reserve their right to follow Britain in opting out of the charter of fundamental rights.

The charter is a document that contains a range of citizens' rights, such as the right to life, the presumption of innocence, and the right to engage in collective bargaining and strike action. It would become "legally binding" for the application of EU law under the "reform treaty", a blueprint of which was agreed at an EU summit at the weekend.

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[TradCat]

We are going to have a bizarre referendum. We will be voting for rights that we may or may not opt out of. So if you think the protection of the right to strike in the Charter of fundamental rights is too extreme then you should vote no.

But if you support it and object to the possible opt-out then you should also vote no.

[Akrasia]

Isn't Ireland great.

We'll have all of the money making pro business aspects of the E.U. but they can feck off with their human rights (it might interfere with our money making)

[Podolski]

Amazing. It's not so long ago that Bertie insisted that under no circumstances could we get an opt out from the common foreign security elements of the Nice Treaty and insisted that we had to vote a second time on it because our first answer was "wrong".

[Free Speach]

For what reason would we want an opt out clause?
If we ratify the treaty will it override our Irish constitutional rights?

If for example the EU decided on a right to abortion (whether full on demand abortion or in a limited form) would that then become law in Ireland if we didn't have the option of an opt out clause.

Is there a link to what is contained in the rights charter so as we can look at what it entails.

Would signing up to the rights charter mean we only sign up to rights as they stand or will it leave us obliged to sign up to all future ammended and updated rights.

[madura]

Isn't Ireland great.

We'll have all of the money making pro business aspects of the E.U. but they can feck off with their human rights (it might interfere with our money making)

So we should agree to any proposal made by the EU in return for the funding? Allow ourselves to be bought, in other words.

[HP]

How embarrassing... in the same camp as Poland.

Next we'll be claiming a load of grants based on what the population would be if it hadn't been for the famine.

[solair]

Well the Fianna Fail MEPs do sit with an embarrassing right wing group in the European Parliament.

Which rights are they opting us out of without our permission and what's the logic behind this?

Is El Bertie planning on implementing forced labour camps or something?

[woodie]

Disgraceful!

[corelli]

With respect, the opt out was not to opt out of the european social charter but to opt out of the "binding" natue of the charter in the new "constitution". We have already signed up to the charter and have been taken before the monitoring committe of the charter more than once. The vice president of the relevent committee at one stage was even an Irish man. Professor Gerard Quinn of UCG. Im not saying it is the right decision, just pointing out the actuality of the situation. It is also possible that some of the rights in the charter would go further than those presently constitutionally judiciable in Ireland. Reading between the lines it would seem that the provision in the charter giving everyone a right to strike would be seen by the State to interfere unduely with the social partnership arrangements.