EU Commissioner: No Sane Person Would Read Lisbon Treaty

Speaking in Dublin on Friday, McCreevy, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, said "I don't expect ordinary decent Irish people, or anywhere in the globe, to be sitting down and spending hours and hours reading sections about subsections referring to articles about sub-articles. But there is sufficient analysis done."

The former Irish finance minister admitted he hasn't read the entire treaty himself and said he doesn't expect "any sane and sensible person" to read it from cover to cover.

McCreevy was in Dublin to help campaign for a Yes vote in Ireland's June 12th referendum on the reform treaty aimed at simplifying the decision-making process in the 27-member EU. It is a replacement for the failed EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters.

Ireland is the only EU member to hold a public referendum on the treaty. A poll published last week showed a majority of two-to-one in favor of the treaty among voters who have made up their minds. However, almost half of Irish voters are still undecided or indifferent.