Noonan: No vote could force euro exit

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has suggested that Ireland may be forced to leave the eurozone if voters reject the EU fiscal compact treaty in the upcoming referendum.

In the latest poll carried out by Millward Brown Lansdowne on behalf of the Irish Independent, 37% of the 1,000 people questioned said they would vote yes in the May 31 referendum, 24% said they would vote no and 35% remained undecided. A further 4% said they would definitely not be voting.

Mr Noonan said a no vote would be a “dangerous leap” in the dark for Irish citizens. He said Ireland may need to enter “a new kind of an arrangement” rather than be a full member of the eurozone if there is a no vote.