Ireland will undoubtedly support the Treaty of Nice and support the next stage of in the Union's development, the Dáil heard this afternoon.
Speaking at a debate on the Treaty prior to the upcoming referendum, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy said "this Union is our Union. We all must take our share of the responsibility for its further development".
The Treaty of Nice was finalised last December when the Nice European Council met to conclude negotiations on a number of issues including EU enlargement policy and re-organisation of EU Commission membership.
This afternoon Mr McCreevy said Ireland fully supported the enlargement process. He said Ireland was well placed to take advantage of economic and financial benefits afforded by an enlarged Union.
The expansion of the Single Market from more than 100 million people to over 500 million, he said, would create numerous new consumers for Irish produce.
He added that Ireland's ability to export into the Single Market enhanced the country's attraction to the foreign firms which have established their operations here and enhanced Ireland's prospects for foreign direct investment.
Mr McCreevy spoke of the EU's contribution to the peace process - in particular the International Fund for Ireland, which came into effect after the signing of the Anglo-Irish agreement in 1986 and the EU-funded Programme for Peace and Prosperity following the 1994 ceasefire, which by the end of this year will have donated £106 million to the border region.
Mr McCreevy reminded the House that his objective to retain Ireland's right to determine its own taxation policy had been successful.
He also highlighted the fact that Ireland's policy of neutrality would remain unchanged and Irish forces would continue to participate only in operations authorised by the United Nations and then subject to Dáil approval.