ELDR Focus Year

Ireland has announced that the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will take place on the 2nd of October. The Irish government reached an agreement with the other EU member states that guarantees the Irish sovereignty in the areas of neutrality, taxation, social and ethical issues. The areas that have been identified as those which made the Irish voters reject the Lisbon Treaty.

European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) urges the need of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty. The Lisbon Treaty will secure more freedom and more democracy in the European Union. Especially the fact that the European Parliament will have a say on almost all areas of EU policy is important. This will secure that the citizens of Europe will become the centre of the European Union.

Aloys Rigaut, President of European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) states: 'We urge the Irish voters to vote yes in the coming referendum. A more democratic and more transparent European Union is in their best interest, especially in these troubled economic times. The Treaty does not take away independence from Member States, instead it makes them more leverage in the globalised world in which we live”, before adding: “This is not a revote of the same referendum. The concerns expressed by the Irish people have been answered, with a number of guarantees granted to Ireland. These guarantees just make explicit what was before implicit, but we really hope that they will take away the fears many people had before the first referendum. It is in Ireland’s interest but also in all Europeans’ interest to get the Lisbon Treaty ratified as soon as possible'.



LYMEC Bureau Member Mette Lykke Nielsen believes that: 'The Irish referendum is crucial for the European Union. We need to begin discussing politics and stop the never-ending institutional discussions. We need the EU to be ready to face major issues that are ahead in the coming years.'