Ireland’s vote against Lisbon Treaty - the aftermath
June 26
As France prepared to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union, the member countries remained in a lather over the rejection of the Lisbon treaty by Irish voters. The Irish prime minister was given until October to come up with a plan for what to do next. Most EU leaders made little secret of their preference: a second referendum that delivers a yes vote. See Economist article
June 20
Looking back on the Lisbon-treaty battle
A personal chronicle Dublin during the week of the vote - a good account of public opinion
EU gives Ireland an ultimatum – find a solution to treaty ‘no’ vote
European Union leaders last night gave Ireland just four months to produce a way out of the crisis over the Lisbon Treaty caused by its rejection by the Irish people in last week’s referendum.
Although EU leaders denied the charge of “bullying” the Irish government, they set an October deadline for it to explain how it could win public support for the ill-fated treaty designed to streamline the EU’s decision-making process.
June 17
Analysis (Stratfor)
The Problem with Europe
The creation of a European state was severely wounded if not killed last week. The Irish voted against a proposed European Union treaty that included creation of a full-time president, increased power to pursue a European foreign policy and increased power for Europe’s parliament. Since the European constitutional process depends on unanimous consent by all 27 members, the Irish vote effectively sinks this version of the new constitution, much as Dutch and French voters sank the previous version in 2005.
The Irish vote was not a landslide. Only 54 percent of the voters cast their ballots against the constitution. But that misses the point. Whether it had been 54 percent for or against the constitution, the point was that the Irish were deeply divided. In every country, there is at least a substantial minority that opposes the constitution. Given that all 27 EU countries must approve the constitution, the odds against some country not sinking it are pretty long. The Europeans are not going to get a strengthened constitution this way.
EU leaders firm on ratification despite Ireland’s rejection
European Union leaders will call for a breathing space before they try to revive the stalled Treaty of Lisbon following Ireland’s rejection of the blueprint.
EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, admitted there could be “no quick fix” as they tried to calm Ireland’s fears that the EU will either go ahead with the treaty without Ireland or ignore last week’s referendum by pressurising the country to vote a second time on an amended treaty.
FRANKFURT — Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty has plunged Europe into a familiar bout of hand-wringing about the future of its grand experiment in political and economic integration.
But the angst has not spilled into the currency markets, where the euro — perhaps the most tangible symbol of European unity — rose against the dollar Monday, the first full day of trading since the results of the Irish vote were announced.
June 16
‘No quick fix’ to Irish No vote
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has said it is “far too early” to seek a solution to the Irish rejection of a European Union reform treaty.
He was speaking as EU foreign ministers met to discuss how to respond to the Irish No vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
June 15
Split emerges in EU after Ireland rejects treaty
LONDON: After Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, a split began to emerge Sunday in European capitals over whether to press Dublin to hold another vote - with an implicit threat to consign the Irish to an outer tier of the European Union should they say no again.
EU at crossroads after Irish vote
(BBC) Where next? Irresistible force - the referendum - has met immoveable object - the need for every EU member state to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. So where next?
Within minutes of the result of the referendum becoming known, some of the wonkiest minds in Europe were speculating as to how the European Union could dig itself out of the Ireland-shaped hole that it had fallen into.
Some options are too horrible to contemplate; the idea of reopening the treaty for wholesale renegotiation is one. Seven long years of institutional navel gazing have already been spent creating the incomprehensible mess that is the Lisbon Treaty.
