Survey finds Irish 'more confused' about EU

The public has become more confused about Ireland's future relationship with the European Union since the Nice Treaty referendum, according to a major opinion poll conducted for the European Commission.

Support for greater EU integration fell to just 40 per cent in the days before June 7th, but, since then, it has dropped even further, to just 25 per cent - less than half of what it was in 1996.

However, the "No" camp has also suffered a loss of support, suggests the Irish Marketing Surveys/EOS Gallup Europe survey. It stands at 35 per cent, down from 43 per cent in the last opinion poll of the Nice campaign.

Predictably, the poll found that lack of knowledge about the treaty and its implications for Ireland led many to either vote "No", or to stay away from the ballot box.

Just 8 per cent believed they had "a good understanding" of the treaty, while 28 per cent had some knowledge. Of the rest, 35 per cent said they did not know what it was about "at all".

The decision to commission such a poll, which was carried out among 1,245 people over 18 between August 20th and September 10th, was quickly condemned by an anti-Nice group.

The National Platform said it was "none of the business" of the European Commission to be holding polls "on why the Irish people voted No to Nice".

Mr Peter Doyle, head of the European Commission's office in Dublin, defended the decision to examine opinions. "We have a responsibility to provide objective information," he said.

However, a Platform spokes- man, Mr Anthony Coughlan, said: "(It) is the first step in a campaign of massive interference planned by Brussels over the coming year in an attempt to overthrow the will of the Irish people."

The survey displays a marked lack of enthusiasm among the public in European issues. Just one in 10 are keenly interested, 54 per cent said they would be "indifferent", or without an opinion, if the EU was scrapped.

More than half of those who voted "Yes" in the Amsterdam Treaty in 1998 abstained in June, including farmers and women, while only 36 per cent of Amsterdam "No" voters stayed at home.

It illustrates the dramatic rise in the number of those confused, or with no opinion since voters first debated whether Ireland should join the European Economic Community. Then, just 30 per cent of people abstained. In June, that figure had jumped to 66 per cent.

Just 18 per cent of people actually voted "No", while 16 per cent cast their voters in favour.

Just 15 per cent of people said they were against enlargement of the EU into Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, while 41 per cent are in favour. However, 43 per cent have not made up their minds.