Former European commissioner and minister for finance, Mr Ray MacSharry, has been nominated by the Taoiseach as the Government's representative to the Convention on the Future of the European Union.
Two representatives of the Oireachtas are also due to be nominated, although senior political sources said it would be another week or two before the names were announced by the Ceann Comhairle.
One of the parliamentary representatives is likely to be former taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, who has been put forward by his party leader, Mr Michael Noonan. The other nominee is expected to be a member of Fianna Fáil.
Demands from anti-Nice campaigners that they should be represented among the three delegates seem unlikely to be met, on the grounds that there are so few anti-Nice members of the Oireachtas. Mr Desmond O'Malley of the Progressive Democrats was mentioned as a possible nominee but there is a difficulty since he is not standing in the general election.
The convention, which holds its first meeting in Brussels on February 28th, is chaired by former French president, Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.