The European Union’s Destiny After the Irish Vote on the Lisbon Treaty

The Irish recently ratified the Lisbon Treaty, a far-reaching reorganization of the European Union (EU). In June 2008, after Ireland rejected the treaty in a first referendum, concessions were offered by the twenty-six other EU countries, all of them having adopted the treaty.

On October 5, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings and the Heinrich Böll Foundation hosted a panel of experts to discuss the expected changes in the European Union and the implications for the United States. Panelists included Ambassador John Bruton of the European Union; Brookings Visiting Fellow Federiga Bindi; President Ralf Fuecks of the Heinrich Böll Foundation; Timothy Garton Ash of the University of Oxford and the Hoover Institution; and Professor Charles Kupchan of Georgetown University and the Council on Foreign Relations. The event is part of a series of briefings and discussions on the future of the European Union.

Senior Fellow Justin Vaïsse made introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, panelists took audience questions.