European Commission president Mr Romano Prodi today hailed preliminary results in Ireland's referendum on the Nice Treaty, saying the Yes vote exceeded expectations.
Speaking on French radio station Europe 1, Mr Prodi said: "The indication is even better than expected. Ireland is giving a green light to enlargement."
Mr Prodi said he believed enlargement was a necessary evolution of the Union.
"It's peace, it's the voice of Europe, it's also our economic future and it's the end of a tragic period. But it has to be done well, and with intelligence," he said. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a statement. "I welcome the positive result of the Irish referendum on the Nice treaty. The people of Ireland were aware of their great responsibility to Europe."
"This decision opens the way for the enlargement of the European Union."
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said: "If the preliminary results are confirmed...we should thank the Irish - all those who understood that even the biggest domestic problems should not overshadow the big idea that EU enlargement will at last overcome the rifts which have divided our continent." Agencies
