Thursday

21st Sep 2023

Ireland to hold referendum on fiscal compact

  • Enda Kenny says the Irish people need to be consulted on the fiscal treaty (Photo: Council of European Union)

In a surprise move, the Irish government on Tuesday (28 February) decided to hold a referendum on the new intergovernmental treaty on fiscal discipline demanded by Germany for future eurozone bail-outs.

"The Irish people will be asked for their authorisation in a referendum to ratify the European stability treaty," Prime Minister Enda Kenny told parliament in an unplanned intervention.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

His announcement came after a legal opinion by the country's attorney general which was largely expected to say no referendum would be needed for the ratification of the brief legal text. The new treaty enshrines a 'balanced budget' rule in national legislation and gives the European Court of Justice the right to impose sanctions if the rule is not transposed properly.

The so-called fiscal compact, initially planned to be an amendment to the existing EU treaty, was vetoed by the UK in December, which forced other member states to draft it as a separate intergovernmental act. The Czech Republic also opted out in the end, with a formal signing ceremony at 25 - including Ireland - expected on Friday in Brussels.

"I am very confident that when the importance and merit are communicated to the Irish people that they will endorse it emphatically by voting yes to continuing economic stability and recovery," Kenny said.

EU-related votes have a sorry history in Ireland, where the Lisbon Treaty had to be put twice to a referendum, as voters in first said no to the EU legal text and only reluctantly agreed to it in 2010, amid worsening economic conditions and increased pressure from other member states and the EU commission to approve it.

Even as Ireland is currently being portrayed as a 'role model' for the way it has stuck to the austerity programme linked to the €90 billion bail-out it received at the end of 2010, popular anger is high as people see that the money was mostly used to bail out banks, not to create more employment and growth.

A Yes vote seems unlikely, especially since other euro-countries do not rely on Ireland to allow for the treaty to come into force.

A minimum of 12 out of eurozone's 17 member states have to ratify the text for it to come into force.

But if Ireland does not ratify the treaty, it will no longer be eligible for future bail-outs from the European Stability Mechanism - a permanent, €500 billion-strong fund to be set up in July.

Ireland plans referendum body on possible EU treaty poll

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said he intends to establish a permanent referendum commission so that the public is fully prepared for a possible poll on the fiscal discipline treaty currently being drawn up by member states.

New EU deal faces multiple referendum threat

Within hours of arriving at a fragile treaty deal for the eurozone and nine other EU states, the agreement delivering deeper integration is already confronting the spectre of multiple referendums and a host of legal barriers.

Irish to vote as treaty is outside normal EU structures

The drafters of the fiscal discipline treaty tried to ensure it would not trigger an Irish referendum but a fact beyond their control - that it was outside EU structures - means Irish people will get to vote on it.

Twenty five EU leaders sign German-model fiscal treaty

Germany's vision of an EU of fiscally prudent states held in check by tight budgetary laws and the threat of legal action came a step closer on Friday when 25 leaders signed a new fiscal treaty.

Agenda

Spain's EU-language bid and UN summit This WEEK

While the heads of EU institutions are in New York for the UN high level meeting, Spain's EU presidency will try to convince ministers to make Catalan, Basque, and Galician official EU languages.

Latest News

  1. Report: Tax richest 0.5%, raise €213bn for EU coffers
  2. EU aid for Africa risks violating spending rules, Oxfam says
  3. Activists push €40bn fossil subsidies into Dutch-election spotlight
  4. Europe must Trump-proof its Ukraine arms supplies
  5. Antifascism and fascism are opposites, whatever elites say
  6. MEPs back Germany's Buch to lead ECB supervisory arm
  7. Russia to blame for Azerbaijan attack, EU says
  8. Fresh dispute may delay EU-wide migration reforms

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us