The Taoiseach has said the Government was "profoundly disappointed" by the country's Nice rejection but insisted EU enlargement would proceed.
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Mr Ahern's comments came as European Commission president Mr Romano Prodi told an Italian newspaper the union could still expand even if not all current members have ratified the treaty.
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Taoiseach,
Mr Bertie Ahern |
Mr Ahern told the Iceland Chamber of Commerce in ReykjavikIreland would remain "fully engaged" with the EU and would work with other member-states to "find a way forward".
Mr Ahern said: "We look forward to the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union.
"The result was of course a profound disappointment for the Government and indeed for all those who wish to see the enlargement of the union proceed smoothly.
"The Government will be reflecting in detail on the causes of the no vote and the concerns reflected in the result."
Many of the reasons people had for voting no were "unconnected" with the treaty itself, he said.
"I made it clear to my EU colleagues that the no vote was in no way a vote by the Irish people against the EU or enlargement.
"Ireland will now work with its EU partners in finding a way forward."
Mr Prodi, writing in the Corriere della Seranewspaper, said legal opinion indicated enlargement could go ahead without Irish ratification but he warned against it.
He said: "The real problem is a political one and, as a politician, I have to warn against the temptation of thinking enlargement can go ahead as planned if Nice fails.
"That would be a serious mistake. To my Irish friends, I say 'Look at Nice, think about the implications and when you are ready, we will be here to answer your concerns.'
"But remember that the decision, which only you can take, will have a decisive impact on the future of the whole continent."
Mr Ahern told the audience in Iceland the recent Celtic Tiger boom - under which GDP per head of population had risen from 66 per cent of the EU average to more than 100 per cent in 20 years - was linked to Ireland's EU membership and participation in the single market.
He said: "Our membership is no less vital as our economy develops. So much new investment foreign and domestic would not take place, so many new jobs would not be created, were we not an integral part of a large single market with a single currency."
PA