Libertas enter EU elections in UK

Declan Ganley: 'Libertas to shine a light across Europe'

A new political party aiming to "bring more democracy" to the EU has been launched in the UK and plans to fight every seat in June's European election.

Libertas, which campaigned against the Lisbon Treaty in an Irish referendum last year, said it would send a "clear message" the treaty was unacceptable.

Libertas said it was "pro-European" and wanted to contest seats across the EU.

But the European Parliamentary Labour Party said Libertas was a "pressure group masquerading as a party".

It said the exercise was a "personal vanity project" for Declan Ganley, the businessman who founded the Libertas movement.

Mr Ganley, who became a household name in Ireland when he led the successful campaign against the Lisbon Treaty last year, has not ruled out standing as an MEP but said he would not bankroll the party's campaign.

'No limits'

Libertas plans to field candidates in every EU state in June, calling for radical reform of its institutions to make them more democratic and accountable.

The party's UK campaign will be led by Robin Matthews, a former soldier who left the army last year after more than 20 years' service in countries such as Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Mr Mathews's argument was that Libertas could deliver a vote across the entire EU, and that would bring more democracy into the system. But, he was unwilling or unable to suggest how do this BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell Euroblog: What does Libertas want?

At a launch in London, Mr Matthews said there was "no limit" to its ambitions and it wanted to be seen as a serious political force.

The party is currently recruiting candidates but has not committed itself to contesting any elections beyond June.

Mr Ganley said he would not put any of his own money into the campaign, saying the party would rely on individual donations, both from small donors and businesses.

He said the EU's failure to deal with the current financial crisis was evidence of its weakness and he attacked Gordon Brown for "deceiving" voters by not holding a referendum on the Lisbon treaty in the UK.

Second referendum

The Conservatives and UKIP, which have fought for a referendum in the UK on the treaty, have questioned how much support the new party could command.

The Lib Dems, who back the Lisbon treaty, said the launch of Libertas meant "anti-European voters in Europe were spoilt for choice" in the upcoming election.

Robin Matthews said there was "no limit" to Libertas' ambitions

Irish voters are due to vote again on the treaty later this year after rejecting it by a wide margin last year.

The majority of EU countries, including the UK, have ratified the treaty - which requires the backing of all 27 member states.

Ireland is the only country to have held a referendum on it.

Supporters of the treaty say it will speed up decision-making and make the EU more efficient, enabling it to react more quickly to the economic challenges facing Europe.

But critics say the treaty will centralise even more power in Brussels and it is largely similar to the EU constitution rejected by voters in France and the Netherlands in 2005.