But a treaty change would require engaging the European public – and, in several member states, submitting the proposed revisions to popular referenda. Given how often such referenda have been defeated in recent years – for example, in France, the Netherlands, and Ireland – that is a scenario that everyone wants to avoid.
但修改条约需要欧洲公众的参与——在一些成员国，还需要就修订方案进行全民公投。近几年来，公投往往不合决策者之意——法国、荷兰和爱尔兰皆是如此——因此没人希望走到这一步。