The European Parliament agreed, on 18 April, by a huge majority, with the European Council’s proposal not to convene a convention for the addition of a protocol to the treaties on the concerns of the Irish people on the Lisbon Treaty seeing as the issue is deemed already politically settled. The plenary thus backed the advice of rapporteur Paulo Rangel (EPP, Portugal). Following the 2008 ‘no’ vote at the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, EU leaders agreed, at the June 2009 European Council, to take a decision in order to provide reassurance and to respond to the concerns of the Irish people in relation to the right to life, family and education, taxation and security and defence. They also declared that, at the time of the conclusion of the next accession treaty and in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements, they would set out the provisions of the decision in a protocol to be attached to the treaties. The ball is now in the European Council’s court to do so.