A Commentary on the Referendum Commission website

Original Referendum Commission text is in black; comments are in brown

You are being asked to decide whether or not to change the Constitution of Ireland to:
• allow Ireland to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon and "to be a member of the European Union established by virtue of that Treaty" (text of the constitutional amedment ). This European union would be constitutionally different from the European union which we are currently members of, which was established by the 1992 Masatricht Treaty. We would be made real citizens of this post-Lisbon EU in addition to being citizens of Ireland and we would owe the EU the normal citizens' duty of obedience to its laws and loyalty to its authority over and above the Irish Constitution and laws in any case of conflict between the two.
THIS WOULD NOT BE CITIZENSHIP OF TWO DIFFERENT STATES, BUT OF THE FEDERAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS OF ONE EU STATE, AS IS THE CASE FOR CITIZENS OF SUCH FEDERAL STATES AS THE USA, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND CANADA ;
• allow Ireland to agree to certain decisions in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice in future with the approval of the Dáil and Seanad;
• allow Ireland to agree at the European Council to certain changes in the EU treaties; some of these changes may require a referendum or require the approval of the Dáil and Seanad;
• continue the present arrangements for Ireland’s military neutrality, while allowing other countries to change theirs, and furthermore require them to make significant changes in the military area which will isolate Ireland and create a momentum for change with respect to Ireland's own military neutrality. The present arrangements for Ireland’s military neutrality would continue if Lisbon were to be rejected.

What The Treaty of Lisbon is About

The Treaty proposes to amend, but not replace, the two main treaties which govern the EU, namely:
• the Treaty Establishing the European Community (the EC Treaty);
• the Treaty on European Union (the Maastricht Treaty).
The Treaty would also change the name of the EC Treaty to the “Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union”.

What Happens if you Vote YES?

If a majority of the voters vote “yes” then the Constitution of Ireland will be changed and Ireland will ratify the Treaty. If all the other EU Member States also ratify the Treaty, then it will come into effect. The Member States have stated their intention to bring the Treaty into effect in January 2009 if possible.

What Happens if you Vote NO?

If a majority of the voters vote “no” then the Constitution will not be changed and Ireland may not ratify the Treaty. The Treaty will come into effect only if it is ratified by all Member States. The EU would continue to operate under its present rules.