Can the EU alter the minimum wage in Ireland ?

Answer – NO!

The EU has no power to change the minimum wage in Ireland.

The Lisbon Treaty has nothing to do with the minimum wage, which is something we will continue to decide for ourselves in Ireland.

The National Minimum Wage in Ireland is €8.65 per hour for adults. This applies to visiting contract workers and Irish workers alike. It is set down in Irish Law - the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000.

The EU has no role in setting the level of the National Minimum Wage and this will not change under Lisbon.

Wages in Ireland, and living standards here, have risen consistently during the 35 years of our EU membership. One way in which we can help to secure a quick return to economic growth is to vote Yes to Lisbon.

Vast numbers of Irish jobs are dependent on our EU membership. A No vote could put many of these at risk. A Yes vote can help to secure Irish jobs and to create new jobs in the future.

The UK Independence Party which is behind these false claims has no interest in Irish jobs or the fate of the Irish economy. They are trying to advance their UK political aims by taking advantage of our Irish referendum.

The Irish Labour Court has been forced to issue a statement pointing out that the United Kingdom Independence Party is not telling the truth about a Labour Court finding to which UKIP has referred in a leaflet being posted to every house in Ireland.

Will we keep our Commissioner?

As things stand, at least one country will lose their Commissioner in November of this year.

This is because the Nice Treaty currently sets out how the EU works, and it contains a clause which says that the Commission should be reduced in numbers once EU has 27 members. So, when the new Commission starts in November this year, this rule will come into force.

However, the Lisbon Treaty states that this rule can be changed if the European Council decides unanimously to do so. Since the first Lisbon vote, the heads of the EU countries have gone one step further and agreed that, if the Lisbon Treaty gets voted in, every country will keep a Commissioner.

So, in this second referendum, we are voting on a Lisbon Treaty that guarantees us a Commissioner. If the Treaty is rejected, we risk losing ours.

For more on what our Commissioner does and the guarantee that allows us to keep him in Brussels, see the fact sheet “We’ll have no Commissioner…”

http://www.europeanmovement.ie/index.php?id=8929

How can we be sure that the Lisbon Treaty will not have an impact on our corporation tax system?

The legally binding guarantee agreed in June by the 27 EU member States couldn’t be clearer.

The guarantee provides “Nothing in the Treaty of Lisbon makes any change of any kind for any Member State, to the extent or operation of the competence of the European Union in relation to taxation. “

If we vote YES on October 2nd this guarantee will have the full force of international law.

What does “legally binding guarantees” mean?

The Decision of the Heads of State and Government at the European Council on our guarantees:-

• Will be legally binding.
• They will constitute an international agreement, lodged with the United Nations
• The agreement will take effect on the date of entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

This process was followed in December 1992 to address Danish concerns following their first referendum on the Maastricht Treaty.

The Edinburgh Decision was an international agreement - binding in international law, as are the Irish guarantees.

What was agreed on the right to life?

The exact wording of the guarantee is as follows:

“Nothing in the Treaty of Lisbon attributing legal status to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, or in the provisions of that Treaty in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice affects in any way the scope and applicability of the protection of the right to life in Article 40.3.1, 40.3.2 and 40.3.3, the protection of the family in Article 41 and the protection of the rights in respect of education in Articles 42 and 44.2.4 and 44.2.5 provided by the Constitution of Ireland.”

Is it true that if we vote for the Lisbon Treaty the EU can instruct Ireland how much we spent on defence and on weapons?

NO it is not true. WE won a guarantee on this and if we vote YES that guarantee will have the force of an international agreement. The guarantee provides that the Lisbon Treaty:

“does not affect the right of Ireland or any other Member State to determine the nature and volume of its defence and security expenditure and the nature of its defence capabilities.“

It is repeatedly claimed by the NO side that since 1974 the total value of fish taken out of Irish waters by EU fishermen is €200 billion

Another frequent claim is that Ireland produces 40% of EU catch but only gets 4% of the quota.

Answer:

• The total value of the fish taken out of Irish waters between 1974 and 2004 is approx. €8.5 billion, not €200 billion.
• Nearly 8.5% of the fish caught in EU waters comes from Irish waters. Nowhere near the 40% often claimed.
• Irish boats have been landing an increasing share of the fish caught in Irish waters - from an average of 16% in the 1970s to around 25% in the 1990s and up to now.
• Irish landings of fish have more than doubled since Ireland joined the EU in 1973 – from 86 000 t in 1973 to 185 000 t in 2007. (This includes landings by Irish boats both in Irish waters and outside.)
• Under the Common Fisheries Policy, access to Ireland’s 6 mile coastal zone is confined to Irish registered fishing vessels and vessels from Northern Ireland.
• The size of the Irish fishing fleet has actually gone up. Over the same period, the size of the fishing fleets across the EU has shrunk by 20%.
• Between 2000 and 2006, direct EU aid to the Irish fishing industry came to € 65.5 million. Between 2007 and 2013, there will be a further € 42.5 million of EU support to Irish fishing
• The Common Fisheries Policy is currently up for Review. The Review has commenced and a new policy framework will be in place from 2012.
• The fish market is international and our industry is largely dependant on exports. Since we joined the EU, we have developed markets within the EU. EU market offers highest prices and there is heavy competition in world fisheries for access.
  

A Yes to Lisbon will give us a stronger position of influence heading into the major Review of the Common Fisheries Policy.