The Irish Alliance for Europe today warned there were major implications in voting against the Lisbon Treaty.
A number of speakers - including former taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA). president Jackie Cahill and Professor Brigid Laffan - highlighted the possible consequences of what a No vote would mean for Ireland.
Dr FitzGerald said there could be no renegotiation of the treaty. “That is not just my opinion it is the considered view of all those across Europe who have been involved in this process for the last ten years”, he said.
The general secretary of the Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU), Blair Horan, said trade unionists across Europe were watching developments in Ireland.
He said the enshrining into law of the Charter of Fundamental Rights was something many believed would never have become a reality. “The implications of not doing so now when we are so close to the finish line are extremely stark, not just for workers here in Ireland but for ordinary working people right across Europe."
The consequences of a No vote for rural Ireland would be enormous, according to Mr Cahil. He said a Yes vote was vital in strengthening Ireland’s position in the ongoing World Trade Organisation negotiations.
The issue of human trafficking into the European Union would become an extremely difficult task to deal with without the support of the Lisbon Treaty, it was also claimed.
The principal of UCD’s College of Human Sciences, Prof Brigid Laffan, said that about half a million women and children have been trafficked into the EU over the last 10 years.
Eddie O'Connor, the founder of Mainstream Renewable Power, said the treaty would prioritise energy security , which he described as a real and present threat to Ireland. With nearly all of Ireland's energy resources imported, supply is at the whim of others, he said.
The Lisbon Treaty would deliver a common approach to energy across 27 member states, but without a Yes vote on Thursdasy the difficulty of this task will increase exponentially, he warned.
Meanwhile at a 'Rock the Vote' event at Google headquarters in Dublin today, Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton called on young voters to think about the long term consequences of voting no.
Ms Creighton said there is a perception that it has become cool to use the No vote to send a message of dissatisfaction to the political consequences. She said it was time for a reality check in the debate and that anyone who thinks that voting No will hurt politicians is wrong.