Irish voters strongly approved a 27-nation treaty that would reshape EU institutions to make them more effective after a decade of eastward expansion, political leaders and analysts said after the first partial results were revealed yesterday.
Electoral officials said “yes” votes were outnumbering “no” in virtually all of Ireland’s 43 constituencies — a total reversal from the country’s stunning rejection of the Lisbon Treaty last year.
The Irish agreed to vote again after EU leaders offered key assurances designed to undermine anti-treaty arguments. The EU dropped its plans to prune the size of the European Commission, a move that would have cost Ireland its right to hold a seat continuously on the EU’s key executive body. Brussels also reiterated, in formal declarations appended to the treaty, that it would have no bearing on Ireland’s taxes, military neutrality or moral codes.
The pro-treaty camp also weighed a stronger campaign the second time around, this time backed by key figures from sports, arts and most crucially the financial world. Business heavyweights Intel and Ryanair appealed for “yes” votes as the only way to ensure that Ireland remains a favored base for foreign companies.
In the first official result from Friday’s vote, the predominantly rural South Tipperary constituency said 68.4 percent voted “yes.” Last year the same district had voted 53.2 percent “no.”
Many analysts said they were surprised to see early returns running so strongly in favor of the treaty.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, who directed the government’s campaign culminating in Friday’s referendum rerun, said it appeared certain that Ireland would ratify the treaty when full official results came later yesterday.
The treaty reached by national leaders in the Portuguese capital in 2007 spells out how the EU should reshape its decision-making, size and image in line with its growth into Eastern Europe. It proposes to increase the ability of leaders to make decisions with majority rather than unanimous votes, but also gives more influence in policy-shaping to national legislatures and the European Parliament.
The agreement requires unanimous ratification across the 27-nation bloc, and the Irish are the only ones who required its approval by popular vote. All other nations passed the treaty through their national parliaments. Only the heads of state of Poland and the Czech Republic have yet to withhold their assent, citing Ireland’s uncertain approval.
A second Irish rebuff would have killed the treaty and forced EU chiefs into uncharted diplomatic waters. Pressure would have built to chart a way forward that would not be subject to another Irish veto — the long-threatened “two-speed Europe” in which a core of like-minded nations moved ahead of naysayers like Ireland.
Taiwan, which accounts for more than half of the global outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing market, is well-positioned to develop copackaged optics (CPO) and manufacture precision silicon photonics chips, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Silicon photonics are emerging as a mainstream optical communications technology and is seen as key to overcoming bottlenecks in AI computing power. The technology is a key project under the government’s New 10 Major AI Infrastructure Projects, with industry, government, academia and research institutions working to overcome critical technological hurdles and build a self-reliant silicon photonics supply chain, the ministry said. Nvidia Corp in March invested US$4
Palau’s president yesterday called for a “unified” Pacific response to a missile test by China in July, while Taiwan and its Pacific allies a day earlier at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability and prosperity. China gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, sparking condemnation from several Pacific leaders. The 18-member PIF being held in Palau was expected to release a communique after press time last night, with a formal response to the test possibly included. Palau, which invited Taiwan to attend sideline events as an aid partner, urged
China’s continued efforts to inject geopolitical rivalry into the region and disrupt Pacific nations’ discussions of regional issues warrant greater international attention, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) last week led a delegation to diplomatic ally Palau to attend events related to the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit. However, the absence of some member-state leaders has been interpreted by some people as a sign of fracturing in Pacific unity. Thirteen PIF members were represented by their heads of state or government, while Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Samoa sent ministerial-level representatives, a diplomatic official
STATE DEPARTMENT: A US official said that Washington would provide more than US$150m for Pacific island nations, with Minister Lin Chia-lung welcoming the plans The US Department of State has announced partnerships with Taiwan on two Palau projects after Washington pledged more than US$150 million for Pacific island nations. Following the opening of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Palau on Sunday, the department on Tuesday issued a statement titled “Promoting Pacific Prosperity: US Engagement at the Pacific Islands Forum,” which said that the US’ commitment to the security and prosperity of Pacific island nations “is steadfast and enduring, and remains a core pillar of its ‘America first’ foreign policy.” Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced at the PIF Partners
RSS