The Yes vote in the Lisbon referendum may not be the start of the recovery, as Green minister Eamon Ryan argued in the last days of the campaign, but it certainly is the start of the end of a long period of instability within Europe.

This dull but important reform of the way the European Union makes decisions will reinvigorate the EU and allow it to act more efficiently and exercise greater clout at a time when globally, various political and geographical blocs are becoming ever more powerful.

The international nature of policy-making was never more evident than in recent years, whether it has been about drafting regulations to curb bankers' bonuses, meeting the challenge of climate change or the migration of labour to the low-wage economies of the east. The individual actions of the 20 richest and most powerful nations of the world can be criticised in many ways for many things, but there is no doubt that the co-operation of the G20 over the past year has had the effect of preventing the economic downturn from descending into a meltdown.

Now that Ireland has ratified the Lisbon treaty, all eyes turn to the Czech Republic and Poland. It is likely that by the time the council of ministers meets at the end of October, they will have something to celebrate and a whole new set of decisions to make to ensure that the nuts and bolts of Lisbon are put in motion, rather than having to grind out another frustrating compromise.

First priority will be the appointment of new commissioners – one for every member, thanks to the negotiations that took place after the original No vote here.

The campaign for the position of the newly created president, or chairman of the European Council ? a post that instead of rotating with the presidency every six months will now last for two and a half years ? will also begin in earnest.

Whether the choice is for a high profile figure with international "street cred" – Tony Blair's name has been mentioned more than once - or for a more politically neutral nomination from a small country, it will be an interesting indicator of the kind of direction the union wishes to take. The same goes for the appointment of the new foreign policy chief.

The effectiveness of a fully functional foreign policy unit which can both act for European citizens when abroad but also represent a European position is a huge advance. The role played by EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, in the diplomacy of Iran's disclosure of a second secret nuclear facility was an important example of what can be done. Too often on the international stage only three names dominate – the United States, China and Russia. A rebalancing in this regard must be welcome.

We are firmly, solidly, unequivocally, back in the European fold. But while the Yes vote will give Fianna Fáil some heart, winning the Lisbon referendum was really only a political foothill compared with the summits that have yet to be conquered. Yes to Lisbon at least showed a solidarity that can and must be harnessed if we are, as the counsellors put it, finally to move on.