The vast majority of Ireland's 'no' voters (80%) want to remain in the EU, according to a new Eurobarometer survey published on 20 June. But most of them (76%) also think the result puts Ireland "in a strong position to renegotiate the treaty".
However, French President Nicolas Sarkozy dismissed any such expectations. Speaking to journalists after the EU Summit meeting in Brussels, he said the European Council had agreed to exclude "any renegotiation of the Treaty".
"We will not have a 'simplified Treaty II'," he stressed.
The Eurobarometer indeed highlights the major failings of Irish and EU politicians in communicating with citizens about the Treaty and the EU in general. A fifth of the 'no' voters and a sixth of the 'yes' voters admitted they had no idea whether the Lisbon Treaty would be good or bad for Ireland. Most Irish voters (68% of the total from both camps) also found that the 'no' campaign had been the most convincing.
What's more, while more than half of those who did not participate in the referendum admitted they did not vote because they "did not fully understand the issues raised by the referendum," a "lack of knowledge of the Treaty" also emerged as the number one reason (22%) for voting 'no' among those who did make it to the urns.
"Protection of Irish identity" (12%), "safeguarding neutrality", "lack of trust in politicians", "losing the right to a permanent commissioner" and "protecting the tax system" (all 6%) were also highlighted as key contributory factors to voting 'no'.
The survey also finds that young people, women and the unemployed were significant supporters of the 'no' vote, while many professionals, managers and retirees backed the 'yes' campaign.
