Early Results Indicate Irish Reject EU Treaty

World | June 13, 2008, Friday // 00:00

EU plans for restructuring seem to have suffered a serious setback Friday after a top Irish official conceded that voters in Ireland's referendum appeared to have said no to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

"It looks like that this will be a 'no' vote and, at the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, people have spoken," Justice Minister Dermot Ahern told RTE.

Ireland was the only one of the 27 member states to hold a referendum on the new EU Reform Treaty, as this is required by the country's constitution.

President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, urged all EU states to back the treaty, which is due to come into force on 1 January 2009, saying the reforms would strengthen the EU to meet global challenges.

According to experts, rejection of the plan which streamlines decision making in the now expanded EU could plunge the bloc into crisis.

In 2001, Irish voters almost wrecked EU plans to expand eastwards when they rejected the Nice treaty. It was only passed in a much-criticised second vote.
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