Irish voters have presented the European Union (EU) with a considerable problem by rejecting the Lisbon treaty in a referendum in June. All member states have to ratify the treaty for it to come into effect.

It is France’s turn at the revolving EU presidency. It is as head of the EU that Sarkozy visited Dublin. Prior to his visit, there was consternation in Dublin, when Sarkozy was reported to have said, "The Irish will have to vote again." On Monday after a meeting with Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Brian Cowen, he flatly denied that he had ever said such a thing. "We don't want to push you into anything," he said at a joint press conference with Cowen.

Sarkozy also spent two hours meeting with 21 representatives from the various “No” campaign groups.

The Lisbon treaty replaced a proposed EU constitution that was scrapped after Dutch and French voters rejected it in referendums in 2005. The treaty was carefully worded to avoid consulting troublesome voters in referendums. However, Ireland is constitutionally obliged to hold a referendum.

That Ireland has benefited from EU membership is obvious. Most of the people voting against the treaty were pro-EU, but many felt they did not understand the treaty. Quite a few were worried that it allowed the EU to interfere in Irish laws on abortion, or threatened Ireland’s traditional non-aligned position on defence. Although all parliamentary parties, except for Sien Fein, supported the treaty, the “Yes” campaign was lack-lustre.

Sarkozy has proposed a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, to be held the same day as elections to the European Parliament next year. However, a poll, conducted shortly after the French president’s visit, shows almost three quarters of Irish voters are opposed to the idea of a second treaty vote.

With the Irish rejection, the treaty is technically dead. However, EU member states are carrying on ratifying the treaty as if nothing had happened. When the only country to give the people a choice, rejects the treaty, Europe’s elites should be deeply worried. However, they appear indifferent to the opinions of the people they represent. That is a large part of the problem. Many people throughout the EU have a low opinion of the EU institutions and feel they have little influence on them.

One of the aims of the Lisbon treaty was to address the democratic deficit of the EU. The treaty gives new powers to the European Parliament. But the feeling among many Europeans, certainly among many of the Irish who voted ‘No’, is that the treaty is for the elites in Brussels not them.

For Europe’s leaders to carry on regardless and fail to address these fears is grand folly.

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