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Status of Ratification

After the Irish Referendum

Most EU Member States already ratified the Treaty, there are just a few left where ratification is still on the agenda.

Ireland is the only state in the EU where the Lisbon Treaty must be adopted by referendum (Art. 46 in connection with Art. 29 of the Irish Constitution). During the referendum on 12 June 2008 the Treaty was rejected with 53% out of 47% of the votes cast: Results of the Irish Referendum.

The European Council of 19/20 June 2008 took cognisance of the continuation of ratification in various EU Member States, but did not expressly appreciate it due to the pressure imposed by the Czech Republic.
Final Statement of the European Council of 19/20 June 2008

According to press releases Poland's President Lech Kaczynski said he would not sign the Treaty - though ratified by the Polish Parliament - following its defeat in the Irish referendum. However, the signature of the Polish President is a prerequisite for a binding ratification effect under international law.

Status of ratification in the single EU Member States, displayed as map and chart.

New rules on the functioning of the EU were agreed upon in the Reform Treaty, but cannot be transposed without the consent of Ireland. Should all Member States, apart from Ireland, ratify the Reform Treaty the following integration options are possible:

new referendumn in Ireland on a partially amended Reform Treaty
complete revision of the Treaty followed by new ratificationn procedure in all EU Member States
waiver of reforms and further action based on the Treaty of Nice
close coalition of a certain number of the 27 EU Member States ("core group") or building several separate groups opening up non-uniform, stepwise models for integration ("Europe à la carte").

The German Federal Constitutional Court has decided that the Lisbon Treaty must not be ratified before the participation rights of the German Bundestag (parliament) and Bundesrat (federal council) regarding EU affairs have been strengthened significantly.