Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said that Ireland and the rest of Europe need the Lisbon Treaty to be passed in a month's time.
Launching the Fianna Fáil Referendum Campaign, Mr Cowen said the question before the people was different from the last occasion, because our European partners had listened to the concerns raised by the Irish people.
He said the guarantees given to Ireland were comprehensive and legally water-tight.
Mr Cowen said the only way to ensure Ireland retained its Commissioner was to vote in favour of the Lisbon Treaty on 2 October.
Asked if he would resign in the event of the Treaty being defeated again, Mr Cowen said he did not contemplate defeat and believed the Irish people would vote in favour of the Treaty.
The Taoiseach said the referendum was not about the future of the party or the future of personalities, he said it was about the future of the country and was not politics as usual.
He said he believed the EU is fundamental to the recovery of the Irish economy and has been absolutely fundamental to the Government's efforts to stabilise the economy.
Many positive reasons for voting Yes - Cowen
Mr Cowen also said there were many positive reasons for Ireland to vote Yes in the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty next month.
Speaking later on RTÉ's News at One, he said the referendum was 'a hugely important strategic' decision and if Ireland voted No again, we may see a two-speed Europe.
On the issue of whether he had read the Lisbon Treaty himself, following his admission to Seán O'Rourke on the News at One last year that he had not, Mr Cowen said he had read the Treaty from cover-to-cover and had also read the White Paper prepared by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He said it was the Government's intention to ensure that people had whatever information they needed to vote in the referendum.
Elsewhere, a former chief accountant of the European Commission has said that sound financial principals were not being followed within the Commission.
Marta Andreasen said that Irish people should vote No in the Lisbon referendum if they wanted to see their taxes being managed properly.
She was speaking at the launch of the No to Lisbon 2 campaign.
