With 63% of the vote, Ireland ratified the Treaty of Nice, offering a glimmer of hope for the candidate countries of the European Union. This could bring the number of member states from 15 to 27, a process that has been delayed for two years.
The ten countries vying to join the European Union can breathe a little easier after Ireland ratified the Treaty of Nice by a wide margin. 63% of voters said "yes" just one year after the result had been decidedly the opposite. Those supporting ratification included the three main parties in Parliament—Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Labour—as well as the Catholic Church. For them, Ireland's vote in favor of Nice was a way of reciprocating the European Union's solidarity with the country over the nearly three decades since Ireland joined the then-Common Market in 1973.
Ireland ratifies the Treaty of Nice by a large majority.
Ireland was the only member state of the European Union so far that had not accepted the Treaty of Nice, the essential legal document to allow new members to join the EU.
Undoubtedly, the recent victory has been a great success for Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who waged a tough campaign - in which his political life was said to be at stake - and which some have described as intimidating to voters.
The "No" camp consisted mainly of Seinn Feinn, the Green Party, and some independents, who soon acknowledged their defeat to the Executive, but not before criticizing the methods and the amount of financial resources spent in the electoral process.
Reactions
Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller toasted the news, expressing his enthusiasm, while Czech President Vaclav Havel said he was pleased that "the timetable for our accession to the EU is not threatened."
Meanwhile, from Hungary, Foreign Minister László Kovács stressed that "the Irish have given an excellent demonstration of responsibility by understanding that the enlargement of the EU and the future of Europe were in their hands."
Ireland has finally given its approval to the Treaty of Nice, a key text for enabling candidate countries to join the European Union.
The joy was also palpable among the political representatives of Slovakia and Lithuania, who hope that no further obstacles will arise and that next December will be the final date that allows them to know the new partners of the European Union for 2004. From Brussels, Romani Prodi stated that the "yes" vote was essential because the Europe that is being built is based on the principles of democracy.
The European Union and the 10 candidate countries vying for membership within two years still face months of tough negotiations before the accession of Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, and Malta is confirmed at the Copenhagen summit in December of this year.
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