Ireland likely to vote “Yes” over EU Lisbon treaty

Ireland seems likely to vote “Yes” this time in a referendum on the EU’s Lisbon treaty on Friday.

Opinion polls suggest Ireland will say Yes after securing concessions from Brussels and amid fears a second rejection would isolate the country as it battles the worst economic crisis.

Irish MEP (member of the European Parliament) Liam Aylward said he was “quietly confident” of a positive vote in favor for the treaty.

Irish voters rejected the Lisbon treaty in a referendum in June 2008, plunging the bloc into crisis and halting its expansion.

A second rejection would severely delay EU integration and further enlargement as well as weaken the euro currency and open the possibility of a two-tier Europe.

The Lisbon Treaty, designed to speed up decision-making in the EU, give it a long-term president and a stronger foreign policy chief, needs to be ratified by all 27 member states in order to take effect.