The Taoiseach said today he is not prepared to contemplate defeat in the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty due to be held in October.
Speaking on RTE radio's This Weekprogramme he said he was confident the treaty would be passed as the concerns of the Irish people had been addressed by legal guarantees secured from EU leaders on Friday.
“A yes vote is fundamental to our national interest. Every citizen has a responsibility in the referendum to make decisions in the national interest. I believe people will say yes. I’m not prepared to contemplate defeat,” he said.
Mr Cowen said he was confident that voters would not use the referendum to punish the government over decisions they have taken on the domestic economy.
He said he had received the guarantees he felt was necessary to call a second referendum and that the concerns of the Irish people had been addressed because its guarantees on taxation, neutrality and ethical issues would be incorporated into the EU treaties.
“We’ve got to get back to where Ireland is in Europe. Why the EU is important for Ireland. It is really about jobs and investment,” he said.
Mr Cowen said the country was in an economic crisis that involved serious adjustment and that “a yes vote provides us with a much better means of dealing with that.”
“A yes vote will ensure we can come out of recession much more quickly by being part of an EU whose institutions can now make decisions more effectively and efficiently.”
Mr Cowen said the Government would make a formal decision on the date of the referendum during the week.