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| REFERENDUMS
HELD ON EUROPEAN MATTERS: 6
1972: EU - Accession
(Yes 83 % - No 17 % - Turnout 71 %)
1987: Single European Act (Yes 70 % - No 30 % - Turnout 44 %)
1992: Treaty of Maastricht (Yes 69 % - No 31 % - Turnout 57 %)
1998: Treaty of Amsterdam (Yes 62 % - No 38 % - Turnout 56 %)
2001: Treaty of Nice (No 54 % - Yes 46 % - Turnout 35 %)
2002: Treaty of Nice (Yes 63 % - No 37 % - Turnout 49 %) |
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CONSTITUTIONAL
CONDITIONS - Constitution
of Ireland
Binding
referendum provided for any transfer of power because that requires
a constitutional amendment which makes a referendum mandatory. |
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ARTICLES
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL TREATIES, REFERENDUM AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Regulation
about a special transfer of sovereignty to EU:
A decision taken by the European Council to establish a common defence
shall not be adopted if Ireland would be included, Art. 29 IV 9
ConstIreland.
Approval
of transfer of sovereignty without effect of constitutional amendment:
Majority from both chambers, Art. 29 V, VI ConstIreland.
Approval
of transfer of sovereignty with effect of constitutional amendment:
Not expressly regulated, but constitutional amendment required.
Approval
of constitutional amendment:
Majority from both chambers and by mandatory and binding referendum,
Art. 46, 47 ConstIreland.
Other
constitutional regulations about referendums:
Any bill not amending the constitution can be given to a referendum
on demand of a majority of the members of parliament or not less
than 1/3 of the members of senate, Art. 27 ConstIreland. |
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RATING
AND DEBATE
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Ireland's
foreign minister warned the country's voters at the beginning
of February 2008 against rejecting a new EU treaty, saying critics
were using the same "myths" as when the country vetoed
a former pact. Dermot Ahern said Ireland, which sent shockwaves
when it voted out the Nice Treaty in 2001, could not "turn
its back" on the European Union in a referendum on the
Lisbon treaty in 2008.
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At
the end of February the European Affairs Minister Dick Roche
said: "My intention is to make absolutely certain that
the Irish people would endorse this treaty at least two to one,"
"We do have a big challenge ... We can't be complacent,
the complacency was the big enemy in the Nice referendum, [...]
This one, there will be no complacency."
As for the No camp's arguments, Roche said, they had regularly
predicted disastrous consequences for Ireland in Europe. "They've
been saying this since 1972," he said. But Roche acknowledged
that the argument would also hinge on other factors, such as
immigration, unemployment and the government's falling poll
ratings. But he argued: "We have to disengage the domestic
debates from the debates on Europe."
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The
Irish government on 26.02.2008 agreed the wording for the EU
treaty referendum bill, with the text especially crafted to
allay fears that the country's traditional neutrality will be
undermined by the new EU document. The Irish Times reported
that the wording will include a reference to the prohibition
on Irish participation in an EU common defence force. "The
proposed legislation reflects principles that the Irish people
hold dear and that the government views as vital for Ireland,"
said Irish foreign minister Dermot Ahern, referring to 28th
amendment of the constitution bill.
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On
11.03.2008 the Irish government indicated that the country's
referendum on the Lisbon treaty is to take place in the second
week of June. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern told the Parliament:
"The government has more or less signed off on the date.
It is really a question about the day of the week. We are looking
at the second week of June." Foreign minister Dermot Ahern
told a Parliament committee that the Referendum Commission -
an independent body meant to distribute information on issues
covered in referendum questions - will be given €5.8 million
to inform the public about the Lisbon treaty.
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The
result of the Irish referendum was a major blow, with Czech
President Vaclav Klaus insisting that the Lisbon Treaty was
now "finished" and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude
Juncker conceding it would at least miss its January 1 target
for coming into effect.
Austria said the Irish "no" vote was an unmitigated
"failure" for Europe. "You can't dress it up
any other way," said Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik,
while her Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos acknowledged
it was "not good news."
Other leaders and senior EU officials refused to sound the death-knell
for the treaty, which aimed to create a full-time EU president
and foreign policy chief and streamline the workings of the
27-member bloc.
"We take note of the democratic decision of the Irish citizens
with all due respect, even though we regret it," French
President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
said in a joint statement.
"As a supporter of the treaty, the European Commission
would have hoped for another result. However, we respect the
outcome of the referendum," Baroso said, adding that the
remaining ratifications should "take their course."
- On 13.12.2008
Ireland agreed to hold a new referendum on the European Union's
stalled reform treaty. The EU guarantee Ireland a European commissioner's
post in exchange for putting the Lisbon Treaty to the people again.
The bloc also note other concerns of the Irish people, including
worries about European interference in Ireland's military neutrality,
abortion laws and taxation, which led them to reject the treaty
in June 2008.
- On 02.10.2009
asecond referendum was held where 67.1 percent voted in favour
of the Lisbon Treaty while 32.9 percent voted against, turnout
was 58 percent.
Eurobarometer
(2006), The Future of Europe - Results for Ireland,
Special Eurobarometer 251, Fieldwork: 23/02 – 15/03 2006.
(PDF)
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PROCEDURE
Referendum |
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STATE
OF THE PROCEDURE
Voters in the Irish Republic
rejected the Lisbon treaty in a vote by 53.4% to 46.6%. |
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DATE
OF REFERENDUM
13.06.2008
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RELEVANT
DOCUMENTS AND MATERIAL
Brady, H. (2008),
Caution:
The Irish Might Guillotine Lisbon, Real Instituto Elcano, ARI
56/2008, 6/6/2008. (HTML)
Hierlemann,
D.; Heydecker, C. (2008), Grünes
Licht von der Grünen Insel? Zehn Fragen zu Irland, Bertelsmann
Stiftung, spotlight europe 2008/05. (PDF) (German)
Brown, T. (2008),
The
Lisbon Treaty Referendum in Ireland, Federal Trust, EuropeanNewsletter,
April 2008. (PDF)
Deloy, Corinne
(2008), Référendum
sur le traité de Lisbonne en Irlande, Robert Schuman
Foundation, European Elections Monitor. (French) (HTML)
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