Ahern: Referendum on EU's Lisbon Treaty in second week of June

Dublin - Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has told parliament that Ireland's planned referendum on the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty will take place in the second week of June, reports said Wednesday. Responding to questions in the lower house, or Dail, late Tuesday, Ahern said that the government had more or less agreed on a date for the vote to take place in the second week of June, but the day of the week had not yet been agreed upon, national broadcaster RTE reported. The Irish Times reported Wednesday that June 12 would be the most likely date for the referendum. Ireland is the only one of the EU's 27 members to hold a referendum on the bloc's latest accord on institutional reform. The treaty, which was signed in the Portuguese capital last December, aims to streamline EU decision-making. A recent opinion poll showed Irish support for the treaty outweighing opposition by two to one. The treaty, if ratified by all member states, will come into effect on January 1, 2009. A number of states have already ratified it in parliamentary votes including France, Belgium, Hungary and Slovenia. In early March, Britain's Labour government defeated a parliamentary challenge by the opposition Conservatives to have a referendum held in Britain.

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Ahern: Referendum on EU's Lisbon Treaty in second week of June

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