The Irish Yes vote on the Nice Treaty is a "very important step" on the road towards EU enlargement, although much remains to be done, the European Commission, said today.
The President of the European Commission welcomed early results in the Nice Referendum as "even better than expected".
Romano Prodi said Ireland was giving a "green light" to the enlargement of the European Union.
The President of the European Parliament Pat Cox said he would be bringing the message of the Irish people to next week's summit meeting in Brussels.
The Danish presidency of the European Union welcomed Ireland's vote in favour of the Nice Treaty, saying that it sent a clear signal to candidate countries that the bloc was ready to enlarge.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said the people in Ireland had lived up to their great responsibility for Europe.
The Prime Minister of one of the applicant states, Estonia, said that a No vote would have been very disappointing.
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski expressed his gratitude to Irish authorities for "having mounted a solid campaign" and to the EU for "knowing how to listen to the worries of the Irish people."
Poland is one of ten countries in line to be invited to join the European Union in 2004.
