Ireland Ambassador: Preserved EC Spot Key for Lisbon Treaty 'Yes'

Ireland's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Geoffrey Keating (left) (pictured here with former Bulgarian EU Affairs Minister Gergana Passy) said the fact that EU addressed Ireland's concertns properly was key for the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Photo by BGNE

In an exclusive interview for Novinite.com, Ireland’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, Geoffrey Keating, said EU’s decision to preserve right of member states to nominate Commissioners was key for the Irish “Yes” to the Lisbon Treaty.

“The main concern people had was the prospect of not being represented in the European Commission. I believe the decision to allow each Member State to continue to nominate a Commissioner is something that is of importance not only to Ireland but to all Member States, particularly the smaller ones,” Ambassador Keating said just minutes after the results of the Lisbon Treaty referendum in Ireland became clear.

In his words, the legal guarantees that the European Council agreed to provide Ireland with are “a very good example of how the European Union works by listening to and accommodating the concerns of even the smallest Member States.”

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