European Commissioner for Enlargement Mr Guenter Verheugen has said a no vote in Ireland's referendum on the Nice treaty would not stop European Union expansion.
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"If the majority would be against the Nice treaty...it would not affect the enlargement process. We would continue with the same speed and the same quality," Mr Verheugen told reporters.
Mr Verheugen said a negative vote would not affect the ratification process in other EU countries and the Commission would immediately start to look for a solution.
"Such a referendum in one country cannot...block the biggest and most important project for the political and economic future of the united Europe," he said during a visit to Slovenia.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Minister Mr Janos Martonyi said that a no vote in would be bad for the enlargement process and could hurt the atmosphere of entry talks.
Hungary, considered as a frontrunner among eastern European states hoping to join the EU, hopes to join the European Union in 2004.
"It would be pretty bad," Mr Martonyi said.
"I would be very much surprised if they vote against it and I would not be happy about it at all." he added.
But he said that Hungary was interested in a smooth accession process and, in the worst case scenario, he believed some solution could be still worked out.
"I don't think that it has the potential to delay entry but the atmosphere [of negotiations] would definitely change," Mr Martonyi added.He reiterated, though, that Hungary was determined to continue accession negotiations and conclude talks by the end of 2002.