Regret at Irish 'No'

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 13th Jun 2008

Elspeth Attwooll has expressed deep regret at the result of Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

The Lib Dem MEP for Scotland said:

"We now need strong leadership on the part of heads of government to find a way out of the current predicament. The Nice Treaty is simply not a sufficient basis for the efficient functioning of a union of 27 member states.

I also feel that it is particularly important to preserve all that the Lisbon Treaty does to improve democratic accountability, such as the closer involvement of national parliaments, extension of co-decision in the European Parliament, better consultation of regional and local authorities and the right of citizens initiative".

END