Referendum on the Twenty-Sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2002 (The Treaty of Nice)

A referendum on a proposal to amend the Irish Constitution to allow Ireland to ratify the Treaty of Nice was held on 19 October 2002.

The main purpose of the Treaty of Nice was to make some changes in the institutions which govern the EU. Important institutional changes included:

• changes in the membership of the European Commission;
• changes in decision making in the Council of the EU including enhanced co-operation;
• changes in the membership of the European Parliament.

The Governments of the existing Member States believed these institutional changes were necessary for the efficient running of an enlarged EU. The Treaty also dealt with a number of other issues including some aspects of security and defence.

The proposal was approved by the people.

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Report

You can read the Referendum Commission’s report online or download a PDF copy of the report.