On Thursday I posted on the Irish referendum to approve the so-called Lisbon Treaty of the European Union -- the results are in:

Irish voters have removed the single greatest barrier to regionwide adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, which would further integrate the European Union -- the world's largest political and economic alliance encompassing almost 500 million people in 27 countries. According to official results of a referendum released Saturday, 67 percent of voters supported the charter.

The treaty would, among other things, create a full-time E.U. president and secretary of state, more closely linking the region's foreign policies and affording the alliance new clout on the world stage.

Irish voters rejected the treaty in a vote last year. But reassured that the European Union would not demand changes to its antiabortion laws or military neutrality, Ireland switched gears in a second referendum Friday.

I would like to thank everyone who commented on my post and contacted us offline with their insights. To further reflect on the results we will be holding a conference call on October 5th at 11:30 a.m. (Washington, DC time).  If you are interested in participating, please contact Duygu Erdemgil at derdemgil@uschamber.com