Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has reassured trade union leaders that he will support the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights.
Earlier in the week the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) had threatened to campaign for a "No" vote in next year's referendum on the latest EU treaty if Ireland did not sign up to the charter.
Speaking at the Ictu conference in Bundoran, Co Donegal, Mr Ahern said he wanted to clarify where his Government stood on the issue, in the light of the concession allowing the British to insert an opt-out clause in the treaty.
"Ireland did not seek any 'opt-out' as has been reported. We simply, prudently and sensibly indicated that we would wish to study the implications of the UK position regarding their request to introduce a protocol on the charter relating to its scope in UK law.
"While we will continue to examine the technical implications, we are satisfied that the text of the charter itself and the wording to be included in the treaty appear to adequately define its scope and application. We want the charter to apply just as we agreed it should in 2004," Mr Ahern said.
During his speech, Mr Ahern made an unscripted remark that he did not know why people who engaged in cribbing and moaning about the economy "don't commit suicide".
Speaking to reporters later, Mr Ahern apologised for what he described as a bad choice of words, saying he had not meant it that way.
Fine Gael deputy health spokesman Dan Neville said the Taoiseach's remarks were an appallingly poor sign of understanding of suicide at the highest level in the country.
"While I have heard the Taoiseach's apology, I believe that he is still not conscious of the impact of his remarks," Mr Neville said.
Mr Ahern also told reporters he did not foresee any major economic problems on the horizon and said the fall in house prices for first-time buyers was a good thing.
He denied that the budget in December could be one of the tightest in years.
Asked whether tax cuts were still on the agenda in the light of the €1.4 billion exchequer deficit, he said the Government had not made any consideration on the half-year financial figures. He also signalled that the Government would not bring forward planned mortgage tax relief measures earmarked for the budget, as sought by the trade unions. He said the promised mortgage interest measures would be introduced in December.
Mr Ahern said that for several years he had defended the policy of dealing with house prices through supply and demand measures.
"Now [when we] start getting for first-time buyers a slight reduction in prices that is seen as a bad thing. It is not a bad thing at all. It is very good that it has eased back a bit," he said.