In every area of environmental protection Ireland had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century by the EU, according to the director of the Environmental Institute in UCD.
Prof Frank Convery told a press conference of the Alliance for Europe yesterday that without the EU, environmental protection in Ireland would be a "busted flush".
He listed various aspects of pollution that had only been dealt with through EU directives, and added: "For some reason, short-termism or gombeenism has thwarted serious action by ourselves."
Most of the applicants had an underdeveloped NGO sector in relation to the environment. "If we don't allow them to be party to the EU their environment will suffer. They also have economic problems. They will be under pressure to develop quickly. Without Europe, brown-envelopeism and gombeenism will dominate."
He also said the EU was a force for the thwarting of narrow nationalism, and in many of the countries of eastern Europe ethnic pressures were just below the surface.
Ms Angela Kerins, of the Disability Alliance, said members of her organisation had worked in many of the applicant countries with disability groups there. While much more needed to be done here for the disability sector, there had been benefits from EU membership, especially in the areas of training, employment and equality legislation. The European Social Fund had helped many projects for people with disabilities.
In many of the applicant countries people with disabilities lived in institutions similar to those depicted in the States of Fear documentary, in deplorable conditions. Children were chained to beds because it was easier to control them, and they grew up unable to walk. A yes vote was a vote for social justice.
Ms Kay Garvey, a SIPTU activist, while stressing she was not representing the union, said workers generally and women workers in particular had benefited from EU membership.
Only three pieces of legislation protecting workers and advancing equal rights had been initiated by Irish governments in the past 30 years, she said. All the rest, covering areas like equal pay and social welfare, the rights of employees in insolvent companies, parental leave, health and safety, holidays and the rights of part-time workers, had come in the form of EU directives.
"Consider what a Yes vote will mean to the workers of the applicant countries," she said.
Prof Brigid Laffan, chairwoman of the alliance, disputed the claim of No campaigners that the EU could be expanded under the Amsterdam Treaty. "It states that there must be a fundamental review of the rules when the number of member states reaches 20," she said.
"There is no easy way to enlarge with 10 countries without a treaty. They are ready. We want them to be able to join in January 2004, after they conclude their negotiations in December of this year. We need either a Nice or a Nice equivalent."