European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering who has had several clashes with British eurosceptics on this issue in the recent past admonished them by saying: "If your parents could see you, they would be ashamed."

Meanwhile Irish MEPs were out in force during the debate, with Ireland under intense scrutiny across the EU as it is to be the only country to vote on the treaty in a referendum.

Avril Doyle, centre-right MEP, asked EU officials not to tell Irish voters how to vote in the referendum, which is expected at the end of May or the beginning of June. She also called on the commission to not "pick rows" over administrative issues with Ireland as these fights could be "misrepresented, deliberately or otherwise, by the Treaty naysayers." 

clash – střed, spor issue – téma, problematika recent – nedávný to admonish – napomínat to be ashamed – stydět se meanwhile – mezi tím MEPs – poslanci (Members of Parliament) under scrutiny – pod drobnohledem only – jediný treaty – smlouva, dohoda official – úředník, činovník voter – volič to expect – očekávat to call on sb – apelovat na, vyzývat to pick rows – hledat záminku k hádkám, začínat hádky issue – záležitost, problem fight – boj to misinterpret – špatně interpretovat deliberately – schválně otherwise – jinak naysayer – ten, který říká ne; ten, co je proti.

Ms Doyle was referring particularly to a recent spat where payments to Irish farmers from the EU rural environment protection schemes were temporarily suspended. They have since been resumed.

Another issue that has been resolved with propitious timing as far as Irish farmers are concerned is the Brazil beef issue. 

to refer to – odvolávat se na particularly - zvláště recent – nedávný spat – spor payment – platba, poplatek rural –venkovský, zemědělský environment – životní prostředí temporarily – dočasně to suspend – pozastavit another – další to resolve – vyřešit propitious – příznivý, vhodný timing – načasování as far as farmers are concerned – co se týče zemědělců beef – hovězí.

Irish beef farmers have been up in arms about imports of Brazilian beef to the EU - beef they say is subject to less stringent controls that EU beef and which is sold more cheaply in the bloc making homegrown meat unattractive.

But a recent EU decision to ban beef from the South American country has been welcomed by farmers, still seen as a significant force in Irish society - and a force that the government would like to have behind the EU treaty.

to be up in arms – bojovat proti beef – hovězí maso to be subject to – být předmětem čeho less – méně stringent – přísný which – který to sell – prodávat (neprav. slov: sell, sold, sold) cheaply – levně homegrown – domácí meat – maso recent – nedávný decision – rozhodnutí to ban – zakázat to welcome – uvítat significant – podstatný force – síla government – vláda behind – za.

Text: Markéta Frýbová