The Institute of European Affairs has denied suggestions that further referendums on the Nice Treaty would be ruled out should the upcoming referendum be passed.
Speaking at the launch today of two booklets examining the effects of institutional change in Europe arising from the Nice Treaty, Labour Party representative on the National Forum for Europe, Mr Tony Brown, said the suggestion was "not true".
He said a case is currently being put forward at EU level for certain fundamental issues to be subject to referendum.
Mr Brown was presenting his booklet, Institutional Change - Preparing the Union for Enlargement,which looks at the institutional reforms and changes arising from the Treaty and the implications for Ireland.
The other booklet, Institutional Change - The Effect on Small States,by Mr Thomas Legge of the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, details the reform of the EU institutions, the main changes in the decision-making structures and their effect on the position of small states in the EU.
The booklets are part of a series of 11 publications by the Institute of European Affairs on 'Ireland and Europe' and are available online at the Institute's website www.iiea.com
Mr Brown said there had been an ongoing debate, along with the progression of enlargement since 1973, as to how an institutional framework designed to cater for an initial six member-states, could sustain a larger number of countries.
He said ten of the 12 potential new member-states of the EU are likely to be ready for entry in 2004. The Nice Treaty is the "final building block in preparing Europe for the next enlargement", he added.