The Fiscal Stability Treaty Referendum 2012

Abstract

This report documents the Irish Fiscal Stability Treaty referendum campaign of 2012. Beginning with a brief economic background of the Eurozone crisis, it provides an outline of the main treaty provisions. It discusses the role of the Referendum Commission, documents the main campaign forces and compares their stances in previous European Union Treaty referendums in Ireland. The report considers the main campaign issues that dominated the referendum debate and provides a short account of public opinion. It concludes with an overview of the results and a note on some of the factors that may have accounted for the Yes side's victory in the campaign.