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Europe hails Irish vote
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union heaved a sigh of relief and welcomed the Irish referendum decision to ratify the Treaty of Nice. The treaty allows for EU enlargement to proceed, though hurdles still remain before the wealthy bloc can admit the mostly ex-communist applicant countries. The 10 candidate states -- Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Lithuania, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia and Malta -- are preparing to join the bloc in 2004. Romania and Bulgaria are expected to join later this decade. On Sunday, it was confirmed that Ireland had reversed last year's shock referendum vote against the treaty. (Story) The final results showed a 62.89 percent vote in favour of ratifying the treaty -- 906,318 votes to 534,887 (37.11 percent). EU member states and candidate countries alike hailed the outcome. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a statement: "I welcome the positive result of the Irish referendum on the Nice treaty. "The people of Ireland were aware of their great responsibility to Europe. This decision opens the way for the enlargement of the European Union." European Commission President Romano Prodi hailed Ireland's approval but said more work lay ahead. (Q&A) "We are closer to our goal, but are not there yet," Prodi said in a statement. Pat Cox, president of the European Parliament and an Irishman, said: "This result demonstrates that the only people in the EU to have been consulted have, after a period of reflection, given the clearest possible signal that Europe's rendezvous with history cannot be further delayed or postponed." Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also welcomed the vote. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "The Yes vote sends a clear signal to candidate countries that we take their joining the European Union very seriously." British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "I am very pleased that the Irish people have voted in favour of the Treaty of Nice. "Nice was and is necessary for enlargement to take place smoothly by 2004. An early enlargement is essential for European stability, security, peace and prosperity. "We stand on the edge of an historic moment. It is essential that we all keep our eyes on the prize of a United Europe. The candidates are making the reforms we asked of them. We mustn't let them down." French President Jacques Chirac said the result was a "historic opportunity." "We have a massive 'yes' from the Irish people, which opens the path to enlargement and thus the unity of our continent," Chirac said. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said: "The Italian government wishes to voice its satisfaction at the result of the Irish referendum, which allows the Nice Treaty to come into force. "This choice makes us optimistic about the respect of the planned timetable for entry negotiations, a fundamental step in the historic process of European reunification." Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said: "There is reason for joy." He said "it shows that no internal problems can overshadow the great idea which is the expansion of the European Union." Poland's Prime Minister Leszek Miller toasted the result with a glass of Guinness and adapted a popular Polish ballard, breaking into song with "I love you like Ireland." In the Czech Republic, President Vaclav Havel said the vote was of "fundamental importance for our future in Europe." In a statement through his spokesman, Ladislav Spacek, Havel said the outcome "is important not only for Ireland but also for the candidate countries who have awaited the referendum's outcome with great interest." In Hungary, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tamas Toth said the last legal hurdle to EU expansion appeared to have been overcome. He said: "The Irish yes is a signal of solidarity with us and solidarity is one of the basic principles of the European Union." Jan Figel, Slovakia's chief negotiator with the EU, told The Associated Press: "For Slovakia, this is a very good, encouraging signal." He said Ireland had "created conditions for overcoming the division of Europe which started to be removed 1989 ... It's good for Ireland and for all of Europe." EU leaders are due to meet at a Brussels summit on Thursday and Friday.
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The result is obviously emphatic.
