Ireland's involvement in negotiations regarding Britain's possible exit from the EU is essential, according to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs.
It has launched its report on the implications for Ireland of a Brexit.
The Committee's chairperson Dominic Hannigan said the key recommendation is that "Ireland has to be involved in the negotiation table", prior to after a referendum.
Deputy Hannigan said the Government needs to ensure that guarantees are put in place if Britain decides to leave the EU and that "implications are mitigated against".
In relation to the Irish vote in the UK, the Committee members said it was in everyone's interest that Irish citizens living in the UK are well informed ahead of a referendum.
Four members of the committee are due to travel to Britain this afternoon to meet with members of the Irish community.
They will outline the 24 recommendations in the report which include economic repercussions of a UK exit from the EU and how it will affect Northern Ireland.
