Referendums Related To The European Union - Treaty of Lisbon

Treaty of Lisbon

Only one member state, the Ireland, intended to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon through a referendum.

• Ireland - 53.2% against (12 June 2008)

Since the vote by the Republic of Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty, the European Commission has stated that the Treaty would not force Ireland to change its view on issues such as abortion. The Irish voted again on the Lisbon Treaty on 2 October 2009. The vote was 67.1% in favour of the treaty.

• Ireland - 67.1% in favour (2 October 2009)

Some have criticised the decision to hold a second Irish vote for a couple of reasons. Main opposition in the European Union comes from the United Kingdom Independence Party who argue the Irish public were ignored over their original vote and were being forced to vote again. UKIP also states that the concessions made to Ireland in relation to the Lisbon Treaty "are not worth the paper they are on and have no legal standing".

Others have argued that as Ireland has been given a guarantee that certain issues such as abortion will not be affected by the Treaty of Lisbon, the Irish people should vote again on the Lisbon Treaty with the concessions in mind, and that, given that every other Member State had approved the treaty, it was not unreasonable to ask the single country that rejected it to reconsider, especially in light of the guarantees offered.