Irish launch EU vote campaign

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern unveils a nationwide campaign on the EU treaty

DUBLIN, Republic of Ireland -- Irish leaders have launched a nationwide campaign to convince voters to approve an EU expansion treaty -- a year after a similar ballot was defeated.

Conceding their low-key campaign was partly to blame for the 2001 result, officials are spending 600,000 euros ($591,000) to send an information booklet to every household in the country.

Anti-EU campaigners said the booklet violated a court ruling that bans the state from taking sides in a referendum. But Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said the booklet's content was factual and did not support a "yes" vote.

However, Ahern was not shy about expressing his support for the "yes" campaign, saying a second rejection "would be letting people down in a major, major way."

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The EU expansion treaty, approved by European Union leaders in Nice, France, in December 2000, paves the way for admitting up to a dozen new members to the 15-nation group.

Ireland is the only country that requires a public referendum on the Nice Treaty; the national legislatures of the other 14 members have already ratified it.

"Let's be blunt about it. ... Ireland would be seen to have blocked and opposed the enlargement of the EU" if the referendum is not passed, Ahern said. "We have an obligation as a government, and as a people, to make sure we get this passed."

The repeat referendum has not been scheduled but is widely expected in October.

The June 2001 referendum was defeated by a margin of 54-46 percent following an effective campaign by anti-EU campaigners who argued the treaty favoured larger states, especially Germany and France, and threatened Irish neutrality.

An information booket is being sent to all households at a cost of 600,000 euros

Ireland has since received a declaration from other EU nations that it will not be required to violate its neutrality as part of any peacekeeping operation or the proposed EU Rapid Reaction Force.

"Last year, at least some people were persuaded by the slogan 'If you don't know, vote no,"' Ahern said as he unveiled the booklet at a news conference on Monday.

The booklet should "ensure that there is no information deficit, that people will feel informed and will come out and vote in large numbers," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney added: "We recognise that many people felt less than well informed at last year's referendum, and we accept our share of responsibility."