Ireland given four months to save Lisbon Treaty

Brian Cowen said as he arrived at today's Brussels summit that it was too soon for him to explain the dramatic referendum rejection of the document last week.

Mr Cowen says he has agreed to come back to the next meeting of EU leaders in October to tell them if he believes a second referendum could succeed, and what his government needs from the EU to run a successful campaign.

While Mr Cowen was greeted with forced smiles at his first EU summit since coming to power, Gordon Brown arrived in Brussels as the EU pin-up.

Mr Brown is being roundly applauded by European leaders for keeping the Lisbon Treaty alive through British ratification, which was completed with Royal Assent this morning.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, led the praise for British ratification, declaring: "I would like to thank the Government and Parliament for the constant support for the new Treaty during the negotiation and ratification process.

"The Treaty of Lisbon has now been approved by nineteen member states. I believe it is important that all member states express their position on the Treaty of Lisbon and I call on all of those that have not ratified the Treaty to continue the ratification process."

That was echoed by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who - after meeting Mr Brown in Paris just before the summit - said: "I want to say how pleased I am ... and thank him for demonstrating political courage by leading the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty."