The Seanad has passed the Nice Treaty bill paving the way for a referendum on an enlargement of the European Union. The Dáil endorsed the proposed legislation earlier this week. Several amendments raised in today's Seanad debate were defeated.
The title of the new legislation is the 24th Amendment of the Constitution Bill. Fine Gael's Avril Doyle said that she believes passionately in the aims of the bill but is worried that a flaw in the legislation means that it could be challenged in the courts. Up until now there have been twenty occasions on which referenda have been held to make changes in our constitution. Senator Doyle proposed that the title of the bill should be changed to prevent a potential constitutional challenge.
Leader of the opposition, Senator Maurice Manning said that Senator Doyle's amendment may seem to be trivial but it was on such points in the past that bills were found to be unconsitutional by the courts. Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen said that he has clear and unequivocal advice that the title won't affect the legality of the Nice Treaty.
