One reason Irish voters rejected the Lisbon Treaty lay in concerns that Ireland’s voice and representation within EU institutions would be eroded, in particular through the periodic loss of Irish representation on the European Commission. As a first step toward convening a second poll, Cowen has sought EU-wide agreement that, rather than reducing the size of the Commission, the provision of the Lisbon Treaty that allows for a “one member state, one commissioner” rule will be enacted, allowing Ireland to retain a permanent place.
爱尔兰投票者反对 《里斯本条约》的原因之一是担心爱尔兰在欧盟机构内部的声音和代表权将会被削弱，尤其是爱尔兰将在欧洲委员会里慢慢地丧失它的代表权。为了举行第二轮公民投票，科恩走出的第一步是：不是把范围缩小到欧洲委员会，而是寻求整个欧盟的支持，在《里斯本条约》中将颁布这样一条规定：允许“一个成员国，一个委员”，从而使得爱尔兰可以永远占据一席之地。虽然这种让步尚未全部达成，越来越多的人承认它将赋予都柏林巨大的喘息机会，从而举行一次更有效的二次复决。