New poll shows 77% of German voters want a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty

Judges at the German Constitutional Court are tomorrow due to rule on the compatibility of the Lisbon Treaty with the German Constitution. Ahead of the decision, Open Europe, in collaboration with the Institute for Free Enterprise in Berlin, has published a new poll which shows that 77% of Germans want to be given a say on the Lisbon Treaty in a national referendum. Voters were asked: “Do you think that German voters should be given the opportunity to have their say on the new EU Treaty in a national referendum?”

• 77.3% said yes,
• 20.7% said no,
• 1.9% said they don’t know.

Euractiv quotes Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally saying, “This poll clearly shows that it is not only the Irish who want to be consulted on the Lisbon Treaty. This treaty transfers significant powers from the national to the EU level, and German voters want to be given a say.”

“Politicians claim they want to see more debate about the EU at national level, and yet they have conspired to deny voters a say on the Lisbon Treaty. Research shows that referendums on European issues significantly improve the public’s interest in and knowledge of the EU - so referendums should be encouraged, not avoided at all costs.”

“If politicians want people to connect with the EU, they should give them a say on the big issues like treaty change. The public are crying out to be consulted - it is time to stop pretending that politicians know best, and inject some democracy into EU politics.”

German daily Die Welt looks to the German Constitutional Court’s decision and notes that for matters which will be decided in the Council with Qualified Majority Voting, the German parliament’s assent will be needed. FAZ cites several experts criticising the scope of the Lisbon Treaty, with Law Professor Markus Kerber saying: “Brussels is acting like a nameless regime of selfish elites. The Commission has become the ‘many headed serpent’ of Europe, robbing ever more democratic power from the citizens.”

Dietrich Murswiek of Freiburg University is quoted saying, “the Lisbon Treaty brings powers to Brussels in many essential areas. It is a gigantic camouflage”, while Die Linke Co-Chairman Oskar Lafontaine believes the Treaty is a “programme for military armament and a step towards a ‘Europe of corporations’”.

other sources:
- eu-info.de
- euobserver.com