Lisbon: The Irish Guarantees Explained 

Lisbon: The Irish Guarantees Explained is an explanation of the agreement reached between the Heads of State or Government of the 27 EU Member States on 19 June 2009 in Brussels, informally called ‘the Guarantees’. They consist of both legally binding agreements and political commitments.

Following the Irish ‘No’ vote in the referendum of 12 June 2008 on the Lisbon Treaty, the Member States began talks to investigate whether it was possible to reach a compromise that would respect both the Irish vote and the choices of other Member States in ratifying the Treaty.

This document is an easy-to-understand explanation of what these guarantees are and what they mean, politically and legally.