EU Commission urges Irish to turn out for EU vote

The European Commission declined on Friday to comment on a poll suggesting Irish voters could reject an EU reform treaty in a June 12 referendum, calling only for voters to exercise their right to vote.

"We do not comment on opinion polls, what counts is the decision of the Irish people," Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger told a regular briefing after a TNS/mrbi poll showed 35 percent of people intending to vote "No", against 30 percent planning to vote "Yes".

"What I can say today is that voting matters. It is very important that the Irish people do use their right to vote," he said. Some political analysts say a high turnout could boost the "Yes" camp as treaty opponents are seen determined to use their right to vote.