Information on the Reform Treaty will soon be accessible to people who are blind or vision impaired. The Department of Foreign Affairs today announced plans to introduce information on the Treaty in audio and braille formats.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern T.D., said:
“The Reform Treaty is an important agreement that will enable Europe to meet the challenges of the 21st century, including globalization, climate change, and cross-border crime. It is vitally important that we in Ireland have a full debate on the issues and that this debate engages as much of the community as possible. It is important, therefore, that information on the Reform Treaty be available in a broad range of formats.”
Information on the Treaty is currently to be found on the dedicated website www.reformtreaty.ie. The Government has also produced a pamphlet summarising the contents of the Treaty, the text of which can be found on the website.
Copies of the pamphlet will be sent to every household in the country in the coming weeks. Those on NCBI’s VIPER database (Vision Impaired Persons Electronic Register) will receive their preferred format automatically and anyone else wishing to order a braille or audio copy of the leaflet should contact either the Department of Foreign Affairs on lo-call number 1850 211602 or NCBI’s library on 01 8642266.
Note on the Treaty
The European Reform Treaty was signed by European Heads of State and Government on 13 December 2007. It will update the functioning of the EU so that it can better serve a Union of 27 Member States. The Treaty is intended to produce a more efficient and effective Union that can better tackle the major challenges ahead for Europe. After the signing of the European Reform Treaty, the Government launched a campaign to inform the Irish public about the Treaty and its importance for Ireland.
Note on VIPER
VIPER was set up in 2003 by NCBI Library Services to facilitate sending out information in accessible formats. For further information, please contact NCBI’s Lina Kouzi Tel: 01 8642266.
For more information on the Reform Treaty, visit the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs