Ireland to hold second referendum on Lisbon

By Tony Barber in Brussels

Published: December 11 2008 11:07 | Last updated: December 11 2008 11:07

Ireland will hold a second referendum on the European Union’s Lisbon treaty by the end of next October, according to a draft communiqué prepared for an EU summit starting on Thursday.

The statement said Ireland’s government was committed to staging the referendum by the end of the term of the European Commission, whose five-year mandate expires on October 31, on condition that it received a set of assurances from its EU partners.

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Irish hopes for concession meet resistance - Dec-09Quentin Peel: Lisbon treaty could be back from the dead - Dec-01These include the right to determine national policy on taxation, social and ethical issues such as abortion law, and Ireland’s traditional neutrality in military matters.

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