Irish voters rejected the Treaty of Nice narrowly in 2001, but a year later a second referendum was held and the Yes camp won.

BBC: Q&A: Irish treaty referendum

That means that under the recent treaty of Nice it actually gains members - there would be more members of the European parliament in the future.

BBC: The future of Europe: Justin Webb quizzed

Moreover, all the legal and institutional arrangements needed to cope with enlargement were, in fact, settled by the Treaty of Nice, which was agreed less than three years ago.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

The Amsterdam summit in 1997 introduced Mr Blair to the niceties of EU treaty-making, and was followed soon afterwards by the ghastly four-night negotiation of the Nice treaty in 2000.

ECONOMIST: Britain and Europe

Poland objects mainly to a proposed new voting system for national governments that would reduce the generous weights promised to Poland and Spain under the Nice treaty of 2000.

ECONOMIST: Polish politics

EU's leaders are determined to reverse or circumvent the Irish rejection of the Nice treaty.

ECONOMIST: The rioters did make the leaders look more remote

The Irish only approved the Nice treaty, which dealt with enlargement of the EU, at the second time of asking last year.

ECONOMIST: Keeping the krona | The