Ireland will hold a referendum on the European constitution even if France does not ratify it, Minister of State for European Affairs Noel Treacy said.
However, it may be "within the next year" rather than the autumn, Mr Treacy indicated in Galway yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference hosted by European affairs ministers from 10 accession states, along with ministers from Bulgaria and Romania, Mr Treacy said the debate in France showed a "certain volatility".
Yet he was "very optimistic" that the French will vote Yes on May 29th and "give a lead" to European member states.
France was "very much at the heart of Europe" and would "realise that Europe looked to them to give leadership again", Mr Treacy said.
Nine member states have ratified the document, but all 25 must approve the constitution for it to become effective.
The Government has not yet set a date for the referendum here, and final wording was still being negotiated, Mr Treacy said.
"Ireland is a sovereign state and will take its own decision," he emphasised, and would "most certainly" hold a plebiscite anyway.
He was confident Irish voters would endorse the "most democratic document which had ever been put together in this part of the world".
Polish European affairs minister Jaroslaw Pietras admitted that in Poland politicians were more sceptical of the constitution than the public. It was a "paradox" that while the public was very positive about the EU, much more so than a year ago, politicians had their own views.
"Many ordinary people don't understand what has been written in the document, but they do understand that it is about the future of the EU," he said.
