15.06.2008

Ireland voted NO to the Lisbon Treaty on Friday 13th of June, bringing plans for a European constitution to an end.

As the only member of the European Union who was to hold a referendum on the treaty, Ireland’s NO means more than just a simple shake of the head, the plans for this reformed constitution have been vetoed and thus finalised. This time around the renamed constitution appeared to have a stronger chance of surviving eurosceptics’ glance with already 18 of the 27 members having agreed to it. The Irish have claimed that they do not understand the treaty, but again we see the attempts of the EU to unite the people of Europe slowly slide into failure. Is Europe just not ready to take this large step towards a stronger cooperation, or do Europeans still need to believe in a European identity?