The Result Of The Irish EU Vote: 'Yes'

"Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt welcomes the Irish yes the Lisbon Treaty with the words: "Today is a good day for Europe". After having spoken to the Polish president and the Czech Prime Minister, Reinfeldt now thinks there will be another 2-3 weeks before we have a clearer picture of when the Treaty might start to work - if it ever will."

Today the citizens of Ireland are taking their second approach to the EU treaty. They have rejected it once in 2008, which was a big blow to EU Treaty.

At that time the Irish people said no to foreign rule despite near universal support from the country's political establishment. Now it appears that the situation may be changing.

Poland and the Czech Republic are the only other two EU countries that have not yet ratified the Lisbon Treaty. They are expected to vote on if after Irish positive result today.

Lisbon Treaty is one of the most important treaties in the history of the development of European Union. It aims to streamline the decision making and comprehend the foreign policy of the EU institution.

The Lisbon Treaty was signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007.

The goal of the treaty is "to complete the process started by the Treaty of Amsterdam [1997] and by the Treaty of Nice with a view to enhancing the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the Union and to improving the coherence of its action." Opponents of the Treaty of Lisbon, such as the British think-tank Open Europe and former Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde, argue that it will centralise the EU, and weaken democracy by moving power away from national electorates.

The final results of the Irish vote on the EU Treaty may be available latest this evening or on Sunday the latest.

Written by Armen Hareyan