Irish asked to support EU treaty

The Irish government urged voters on the last day of campaigning to back the European Union reform treaty in Thursday's referendum as the best way to shore up a faltering economy.

Latest polls indicate the "No" camp is gaining ground, with one survey last week putting opponents of the Lisbon Treaty, which replaces a constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, ahead for the first time.

Ireland is the only one of the 27 member states holding a referendum on the treaty -- meaning that a country accounting for less than one percent of the bloc's 490 million population could derail a pact designed to reform how it is run.

On the last day before a pre-poll news moratorium, the government said Ireland needed to show its commitment to Europe to protect exports, the engine of growth.

"The economic news seems to be all bad these days," Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said today.

"It is only through being at the very centre of the European Union that we can ensure that export-led growth is a viable proposition," he wrote in the Irish Independent.

Lenihan said he was worried by data last week showing lower-than-expected tax receipts, which confirmed a slowdown in consumer spending and risks to the budget as an end to Ireland's decade-old property boom hits the economy.

Nine out of 10 Dublin-based economists polled by Reuters last week said a "Yes" vote would be the best result for future prosperity, helping to safeguard investor confidence. Irish businesses overwhelmingly back the pact.