Two Independent deputies called for a Yes vote in the Nice referendum. Ms Marian Harkin (Independent, Sligo-Leitrim) said that having looked at the pros and cons, pluses and minuses, she was advocating a Yes vote. She was concerned that a No vote would leave Ireland on the outside looking in.

"Our tourism industry may suffer. Our influence in negotiating the mid-term review of the CAP will be diminished. Our suitability as a location for foreign direct investment will be seriously damaged," she added.

Mr Paudge Connolly (Independent, Cavan-Monaghan) asked: "How can anybody, in his or her sane senses, seriously entertain the possibility of a situation in which Ireland, which has benefited enormously from EU membership, could stymie the creation of this massive market for our exports, particularly relating to agri-food?"

He warned that a No vote would see Ireland squandering whatever goodwill remained after the last referendum.

Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) said the treaty capitulated to the pressure of powerful EU member-states, which felt they should be allowed to proceed with their own projects, while casting aside those who might disagree.

"It establishes a permanent political and military bureaucracy within the EU, based in Brussels," he added. "The strategy at the core of the Nice Treaty is an attempt to create a powerful capitalist, economic bloc within which major multinational corporations will be able to operate freely in pursuit of the maximisation of profits."

Mr Eamon Ryan (Green Party, Dublin South) said a genuine concern relating to the treaty was about a movement towards the centralisation of power in Europe, which was not good for the EU.

"It is on that basis, as an Irish and European citizen, that I have had to decide how to vote," he added.