The results of a poll have been published, according to which the Irish love the European Union more than other Europeans. Meanwhile, as Lenta.ru notes, it was the residents of Ireland who recently effectively blocked the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty by voting against the EU constitutional document in a referendum.
82% of Irish people believe that EU membership is beneficial for their country. This is the highest figure in the entire union. In second place, with a fairly large gap, are Denmark and Poland, where 77% of citizens each express support for the benefits of EU membership. In addition, two-thirds of Irish people said they consider the European Union a positive force. Here they came in second: in Romania, 67% of respondents called the EU a positive force.
This poll was conducted by EU specialists this spring, while the Irish referendum that blocked the Lisbon Treaty took place in June. Recall that according to the referendum results, 53.4% of Irish people voted against adopting the treaty. They believe that this document threatens the country's sovereignty and could harm the economy.
Ireland was the only country that put the issue of ratifying the treaty to a referendum. The Lisbon Treaty is meant to replace the European Union constitution, which was not adopted in 2005 due to negative results in referendums in France and the Netherlands. The fate of the Lisbon Treaty will be decided at an EU summit in October. Until then, some politicians have recommended that Ireland hold a second referendum.