Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his proposals for a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23704/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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At its meeting last December, the European Council undertook to address the concerns of the Irish people on the Treaty of Lisbon by way of legal guarantees and other assurances.

It was agreed that this work should be finalised by mid-2009. With the agreement of the Czech Presidency and our partners, it is intended to complete this work later this week at the European Council on 18-19 June. If the Government is fully satisfied with the outcome of this work, we have committed to seeking ratification of the Treaty by the end of the term of the current European Commission, which is expected to leave office at the end of October. For Ireland to be in a position to ratify the Treaty, the approval of the people will need to be sought in a referendum.

In the run-up to the European Council, the Government has been taking this work forward in a series of meetings at official and political level with our EU partners and with the EU institutions. The Taoiseach has been in contact with his European colleagues and I had intensive discussions with the 26 other Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg yesterday. We will have further engagement with colleagues in the immediate run-up to the European Council, stressing throughout, our need for legally robust guarantees.

Our partners continue to be supportive of our efforts to secure an agreement that will provide necessary reassurance on the issues that arose during last year's referendum campaign. When it is agreed, this important package of guarantees will provide an excellent basis for a referendum later in the year.