Strasbourg, 25/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - "I shall devote as much time as I can" to the campaign for the referendum on 19 October, Pat Cox, Irish President of the European Parliament, said during a press conference on the sidelines of the plenary session in Strasbourg. Mr Cox recalled that, during the previous referendum resulting in the Treaty of Nice being rejected, 65% of the Irish had stayed at home. Speaking of the slogan at the time which said "If you don't know, don't vote", he said that his advice would be "if you don't know, ask". Mr Cox recalled how important this vote would be on the eve of enlargement and stressed that it was important, quite irrespectively of the final result, for it to come before the European Council in October so that the Fifteen might take the necessary measures by the end of the year. He swept aside criticism concerning the eventual incompatibility of his participation in the campaign with his office as EP president, saying that it is his right as an Irish citizen as well as his duty as an elected representative.
MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon (EPP-ED, Ireland) declared for her part that a "no" at the second referendum "will not result in repercussions or sanctions on Ireland from our European partners". In her view, "we are in danger of losing both our sovereignty and independence" as the Treaty of Nice "opens the way to a Europe with its own Government and a European Constitution which, if and when adopted, will take precedence over our own Irish Constitution because Union law will take precedence over national law". While reaffirming Ireland's commitment to European integration, Ms Scallon said "No to Nice protects our sovereignty and is a profound 'yes' to a better Europe".