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E.U. in crisis after Irish “no” to Lisbon Treaty

— Photo: AP

Writing on the wall: Anti-Lisbon Treaty graffiti on a wall, in Dublin on Friday.

LONDON: The European Union was plunged into crisis on Friday after its controversial constitutional document, known as the Lisbon reforms treaty, was rejected by Ireland in a tense referendum. Finally, 53.4 per cent of the voters rejected the Treaty.

The “no” vote means that the Treaty, aimed at streamlining the functioning of the expanded E.U., will go back to the drawing board as under the rules it must be ratified by all the 27 member-states or it is deemed dead.

So far, most of the countries have ratified it and Britain is in the process of doing it, but with Ireland — the only country to have a referendum because of its own unique constitutional requirements — saying “no” it is thought to be doomed.

E.U. officials admitted that they had no “Plan B” to deal with the crisis.

“If the Irish people decide to reject the treaty of Lisbon, naturally, there will be no treaty of Lisbon,” said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

Irish voters rejected the Treaty despite an aggressive “yes” campaign run jointly by the government and the main political parties who cited the huge economic benefits that had accrued to Ireland as a result of its membership.

The “no” campaign was led by a broad coalition of Eurosceptics who claimed that the Treaty would give more powers to the E.U. and threatened Ireland’s independence.

Few voters had read the heavily legalistic 300-odd page Treaty and did not know what exactly it contained.

The result was a personal blow to the authority of Ireland’s new Prime Minister Brian Cowen who would now have to do some explaining to Brussels.

Though opinion polls in recent days had pointed to a “no” trend, Mr. Cowen remained optimistic until the last minute that the “common sense of the Irish people will win out in the end”.

In the event they proved him wrong.

A spokesman of the “no” lobby group Libertas said the people had shown “enormous courage and wisdom” in rejecting the Treaty. But Mr. Cowen accused the “no” campaigners of misleading the voters.

The Lisbon Treaty, which provides for a President of the European Council and an E.U.

Foreign Minister, replaced the draft constitution which was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. The Treaty was due to come into force next year.

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