EU : the Twenty-Seven try to curb the crisis after Ireland’s ‘no’ to the Lisbon Treaty

Since Ireland rejected, last week end, the Lisbon Treaty, the heads of State and government of the Twenty-Seven Member States are looking for an answer to this particular "no" and trying to curb the political crisis which could spread. European and Irish unions recommend putting Social Europe back in the saddle, since it has been particularly ill-treated lately. Whether it is temporary or not, this new rejection will definitely have repercussions on the Union. Although it can keep on working based on the complex Nice Treaty, it won't be able to avoid the mid-term political consequences and spare a questioning in the long run. (Ref. 080507)
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

Anti-Lisbon union front. The new Unite confederation, born from the merger of Amicus and ATGWU and which is now the second largest Irish union, was content with the victory of the ‘no’ at the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on June 12. The union actively campaigned against the Treaty, for a very specific reason: “Our union recognized from a very early stage that this treaty would set back workers’ rights in Ireland and across the continent.” Indeed, “We read the treaty, we considered how the Eu

You are reading this article thanks to your trial period.
Explore new horizons by checking out our other verticals:
You are reading this article thanks to your subscription to Mind Retail.
Explore new horizons by checking out our other verticals:
Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Italy: parental leave extended until the child’s 14th birthday
The 2026 Italian Finance Act has extended optional parental leave, which can now be taken until the child is 14 years old, up from 12 previously. This leave has a maximum duration of 10 or 11...
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...
France: Decathlon’s jobs and career management agreement aims to bolster employee experience
The news. Sport retailer Decathlon and the trade unions (CFTC and Unsa) signed a jobs and career management agreement (GEPP – Gestion des emplois et parcours professionnels) on 24 February...
Spain: employers and unions pave the way for the textile retail sector’s first collective agreement
The Spanish employers' association for major textile companies (ARTE) and two of the unions involved in negotiations (CCOO and Fetico) signed a preliminary agreement on 23 March for the sector's...
25 March 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
3
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
4
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...
5
Germany: launch of the “WE-Fair” alliance for binational training of skilled foreign workers
Germany continues to expand and diversify its initiatives to attract skilled foreign labour from outside the EU. In mid-March 2026, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development...