Rise of Irish 'No' camp causes alarm in Brussels

A surge in support for opponents of the European Union's reform treaty in Ireland, days before a referendum, has alarmed supporters of the plan who say there is no alternative to fall back on.

Ireland is the only one of the EU's 27 member states that is holding a referendum on the treaty, which backers say will end years of institutional wrangling and forge a stronger Union.

An opinion poll published yesterday put the "No" camp ahead for the first time. Irish voters could sink the treaty if they reject it on June 12.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said he remained confident.

"I still believe that the Irish referendum will succeed. I'm very sure of that," he told reporters.

But other backers of the treaty made clear they were concerned.

"If the 'No' vote wins there will be a cry of pain from the rest of the EU. We've been struggling to reform for years and there is no prospect of renegotiating the treaty," said British Liberal Andrew Duff, a pro-treaty European Parliament lawmaker.