The Maltese delegation participating in the two-day summit of the EU Council in Brussels has worked late into Thursday night as discussions went on in an attempt to find a sensible way forward for the ratification of the Lisbon treaty.
Discussions, which continued on Friday morning over an unprogrammed breakfast, have not as yet yielded any concrete proposals or solutions.

On Thursday night, Prme Minister Lawrence Gonzi, reiterated that any solution presented will have to respect the Irish ‘No’.

This was the first time that European leaders sat together since Irish voters rejected the ratification of the Lisbon treaty in a referendum on June 12th. As predicted, the issue is continuing to overshadow all other topics on the agenda including the impact of the recent rise in food and fuel prices.

Ireland’s negative vote has created uncertainity and frustration among most member states which had hoped for a more plain-sailing ratification process.
The Lisbon treaty seeks to streamline the EU’s operational procedures as the Union continues to grow.

Following the Irish ‘No’ there are technically a number of options for the way forward. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen had already stated that he will not consider holding a second referendum. Re-negotiating parts of the treaty is an option but this option would very likely mean forefeiting the January 2009  target date for full ratification by all member states.

So will the Lisbon treaty be shelved and a new constitution document drafted? That seems highly improbable as the summit is in overdrive to find solutions.

The summit comes to an end on Friday afternoon.