A website advocating the rejection of the Lisbon treaty was unveiled today.
The editors of Voteno.ie, Kieran Allen and Sinead Kennedy, say the site will make "left-wing arguments" against the accord. "For many years, many people have become concerned about how privatisation and neo-liberalism have been imposed on us through EU directives," said Mr Allen.
Mr Allen is a senior lecturer in the School of Sociology in UCD, while Ms Kennedy is an anti-war campaigner and a advocate of women's rights.
Last week, another group opposed to the treaty said it would deliver leaflets outlining its position to over 1.4 million homes in Ireland over the next two months.
Libertas, a think-tank opposed to the treaty, argues that if the Lisbon treaty is passed, there will be no need for the EU to consult the Irish people on future extensions of its remit.
The group will privately fund the distribution of the leaflets, at an estimated cost of €180,000.
Earlier this month, the group lodged a formal complaint to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) requesting it to open an investigation into a website established by the Department of Foreign Affairs (Reformtreaty.ie). It claims the site breaches the ruling of the Supreme Court in the Patricia McKenna case from 1995.
Libertas contends that the website uses public monies to promote the Yes side of the debate.
It emerged last week that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are expected to spend close to €1 million between them in their campaigns urging support for the Lisbon treaty.
Senior figures in the parties confirmed they will allot six-figure sums to finance nationwide campaigns advocating a vote for the treaty.
Fine Gael, which announced that MEP Gay Mitchell will be its director of elections for the campaign, has put aside a budget over €250,000, according to sources in the party.
Fianna Fáil is also expected to announce big spending plans. A source in the party yesterday said its campaign would be better resourced than for the second Nice referendum in October 2002, a campaign that cost the party more than €500,000.
The treaty document was signed by EU leaders in Lisbon in December and must be ratified by all member states by January 2009.
A referendum in Ireland is due to be held this year, but a date has not yet been named.
Denmark, one of the EU's most Eurosceptic states, has already decided it does not need to hold a referendum.