Ireland wins guarantees over Lisbon treaty at final EU summit of Czech presidency

A deal reached between the Czech Republic, Ireland and the UK cleared the way to agreement on assurances for voters that Irish policy on matters like military neutrality and abortion will not be affected by the treaty. The guarantees given to Ireland at last week's meeting of Europe’s leaders in Brussels, the final summit of the Czech Republic’s six-month EU presidency, will not affect the ratification of Lisbon in other EU states.