Support for EU treaty rising in ailing Ireland: poll

(DUBLIN) - Support for the European Union's Lisbon treaty is consolidating in recession-hit Ireland, according to a poll released Sunday, ahead of a second referendum likely to be held by October.

The TNS mrbi poll for Monday's Irish Times found support has increased by two points to 54 percent on a similar survey a fortnight ago, while the percentage of "no" voters has fallen one point to 28 percent.

Eighteen percent said they did not know, down one point.

In a shock result in a referendum last June, 53.4 percent voted "no" and 46.6 percent voted "yes", sparking a major crisis in the European Union.

Of the 27 EU nations, only Ireland is constitutionally bound to hold a referendum on the treaty, which is designed to improve decision-making in a greatly expanded bloc. It must be ratified by all member states.

Dublin is seeking a number of guarantees from Brussels, including on the right to make its own laws on tax, defence and abortion, before holding another vote, likely before the end of the October.

The Irish Times said the "yes" side has maintained a consistent and steadily growing lead in its three polls since the beginning of 2009, despite a collapse in support for the coalition government of Prime Minister Brian Cowen.

The former Celtic Tiger economy has been devastated by the financial crisis, and voters were asked if, in the light of the recession, they thought it was better to be part of the EU.

A substantial 81 percent thought it was (up two points), 10 percent thought it was not (no change) and nine percent had no opinion (down two).

The pollsters interviewed 2,000 voters face-to-face between May 26 and 28.