Summit Speak

Quotes from the summit

Quotes from the summit

"Renegotiation of the treaty is excluded" -French president Nicolas Sarkozy on suggestions that the Lisbon Treaty could be renegotiated to meet the demands of Irish No voters.

"At the moment, I wouldn't bet 100 Czech crowns on a Yes vote." - Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek on the prospects of his countrys parliament ratifying the Lisbon Treaty.

"I wholeheartedly agree with the French president - there will be no cherrypicking [of the unratified Lisbon Treaty] to allow for enlargement" - German chancellor Angela Merkel agreeing that further enlargement of the union would not be possible without Lisbon.

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"If you Polish people had have been allowed to vote in the referendum it would have been a Yes" - Polish minister for European Affairs Mikolaj Dowgielewicz joking about how the Irish could have won its referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

"It is quite obvious that for treaty of Lisbon to enter into force there is a need for unanimity - it is law. All member states have exactly the same dignity - this is the basis principle of our union. We are a union of states and principles" - European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso on whether Ireland had a veto over whether the Lisbon Treaty could come into force.

"It would be sad to lose the merry people of the emerald island from the EU family. But it would be even sadder if, because of the Irish No all those who wish to secure the same benefits from European integration that made it possible for the Irish to prosper are left out in the cold" - Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former Danish foreign minister, on why it might be better for Ireland to withdraw from the EU.

"Frankly many of them (other EU leaders) found it hard to understand how Ireland could reject a treaty which they see as improving the functioning of the union and redressing perceived difficulties of democratic accountability" - Brian Cowen on the EU reaction.

Erwin Teufel, German Christian Democrat, suggests the wording for a new referendum: "The Irish Government should take the bull by the horns and link a second vote with the question of staying in the EU - I think there'd be no majority for leaving"