THE European Union plans to ignore the Irish “no” vote on the Lisbon treaty and press ahead with massive spending increases to implement its provisions.

It plans to spend £6.2 billion on promoting itself as a “global player” next year and 22% more on justice and home affairs to pay for new powers under the still-unratified treaty, in a budget set to be agreed by Brussels in December.

The £6.2 billion will be used to promote EU interests across the world from Latin America to Africa, the Caribbean and Russia, with £243m spent on EU embassies and an £11m information budget to help sell Europe’s new role as a global heavyweight.

“This appears to be stretching the boundaries of legality by dressing up expenditure on areas of new powers under the Lisbon treaty as falling within existing powers,” said Martin Howe QC, a leading constitutional lawyer.

Next year the EU budget will reach £116 billion, with an estimated £6.4 billion paid by Britain.

Documents make it clear that financial plans are already in place to fund Europe’s new powers. “In 2009, the EU should also see the entry into force of the treaty of Lisbon,” states the budget’s introduction. It then sets out details of large spending rises in some of the treaty’s most ambitious areas.

Foreign policy is a key part of the treaty’s goal to “make Europe’s voice stronger in the world” by introducing a foreign minister and diplomatic service. In 2009, spending on “external relations” staff in the EU’s overseas delegations will rise to £180m.

Last week Dublin said it was “still far too early” to find a solution to Ireland’s no vote on the treaty.

A commission spokeswoman said: “There is no spending linked to the Lisbon treaty included in the budget.”

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