Today is an historic day in our relationship with our sister states in Europe. We want to welcome the peoples of the applicant countries into the union with open hearts as well as open minds.

President of European Parliament Pat Cox

The time to seize the moment has come and the Irish people have spoken after a long deliberation and they have removed I think symbolically the last brick from the Berlin Wall - that is a powerful message for Europe's leaders and I hope they listen carefully.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney

I think people had more information and were more aware of the issues this time. On the last occasion, we were too complacent. The Irish people wanted to be generous. They did not want to be the people that said no to the enlargement of the community in 2004.

European Commission President Romano Prodi

European unity is now assured

Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski

This is the evidence of the European Union's deep internal democracy. The Irish example shows that each country, even a less populous one, has its own say and that this say can be loud and clear. This should pacify many of my compatriots who are afraid that Poland's entry into the EU could mean that the 40 million nation will not be heard in it. It will be both well heard and also, in my view, listened to.

Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda

The Irish referendum has clearly demonstrated that the EU is based on democratic decision-making and that decision made by a small country has its weight too. A small country is taking a democratic decision and affects the behaviour of the whole union. So, in this way, it shows us that small countries are not being steamrollered.