Ireland has a diplomatic victory but the real winner is Europe

The discussion of how to salvage the Lisbon Treaty was by no means the most important item on the agenda at this week's European summit.

The climate change package and how to tackle the financial crisis are, of course, more pressing matters - no one would argue that the EU's institutional framework is more important than the future of the planet and mitigating the effects of the economic downturn.

But the deal struck, which allows the ratification process to resume in Ireland, wit...