Nice Treaty (Hansard, 10 July 2001)

§ 4. Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham)
If he will make a statement on progress with ratification of the treaty of Nice. [1541]

§ The Minister for Europe (Peter Hain)
The Gothenburg European Council reaffirmed that the ratification process for the treaty of Nice will continue so that the Union is in a position to welcome new member states from the end of 2002.

§ Tim Loughton
May I also welcome the Minister to his post and hope that he will be rather more forthcoming with answers to European questions than his boss?
If the UK held a referendum on the treaty of Nice that resulted in a "no" vote, would he be happy for our EU partners to carry on regardless with the treaty? In which case, what is the point of holding any referendums in this country on Europe? Or is it just that he regards Ireland as a second-class partner?

§ Peter Hain
That was a pretty poor effort, Mr. Speaker. No referendum is planned on the Nice treaty, just as there was no referendum on the Amsterdam treaty or on the Maastricht treaty, which the Conservative Government took through and was constitutionally far more important 649 and far-reaching than the Nice treaty. We respect the view of the Irish people and we await advice from the fish Government on how they intend to take the matter forward.

§ Mr. John McFall (Dumbarton)
Does the Minister agree that those of us who support EU enlargement do not take lightly the Irish voters' rejection of the Nice treaty? Does he agree that one of the main issues is that the EU as an institution must be much more democratically accountable? Is it not important that we engage with Europe, as we will lose massive economic benefits in manufacturing in each of our constituencies if we do not ensure that EU enlargement takes place?

Hon. Members
What benefits?

§ Peter Hain
It is very interesting to hear the Opposition's catcalls of, "What benefits?"

§ Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West)
Well, tell us.

§ Peter Hain
I will tell the hon. Gentleman. More than 3.5 million jobs are dependent on our membership of the EU—

§ Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)
Rubbish!

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman must be calm.

§ Peter Hain
Conservative Members do not understand why they were so roundly rejected by the electorate on 7 June. Membership of the EU has been enormously beneficial to Britain, and the many companies in the constituencies of Conservative Members that depend on exports to Europe or trade with Europe will hound them out of office if they persist with their policy, which is nothing less than a programme for withdrawal from Europe.

§ Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York)
Does the Minister share my assessment that one of the reasons why the Irish people turned down the treaty of Nice was that they benefit so greatly from the cohesion fund? Will he and his colleagues bring pressure to bear on Ireland, and other partners in Europe who benefit greatly, to share the prize of enlargement with us?

§ Peter Hain
May I very much welcome the hon. Lady's point, which for a change was a serious point about enlargement from a Conservative? She makes the point that enlargement has enormous benefits, not just for the accession states but for the British companies and jobs that will benefit from the enlarged market that will be created. The point she makes about the cohesion fund is important. A number of sticky issues need to be addressed as progress is made chapter by chapter, including the common agricultural policy and the structural funds.