Less than two weeks ago, the Irish brought despair and chaos to Brussels by comprehensively rejecting the new Lisbon Treaty.

Yesterday, they were confirmed as one of the European Union’s staunchest fans and beneficiaries.

The complex love-hate relationship between Irish citizens and the EU emerges in the European Commission’s latest public opinion survey. This revealed that 82 per cent of Irish voters — more than any other EU member — believe the country has prospered by being in the union. In second place came electorates with deep eurosceptic roots: Denmark and Poland with 77 per cent.

The EU also conjures up happy images among the Irish public: two thirds consider it to be a positive force. Only Romania (67 per cent), which joined 18 months ago, has a stronger appreciation level.

In contrast, just three citizens out of ten in Britain have a positive view of the EU and believe the country has benefited from 35 years of membership.

The findings, which are based on interviews between the end of March and early May, reflect the results of a snap poll conducted just days after Ireland’s June 12 referendum. This showed that 80 per cent of “no” voters supported EU membership, endorsing the view of Michael Martin, the Irish Foreign Minister, that “no” campaigners were “pro-Europe and pro-European Union”.

Asked to comment on the apparent contradiction, an EU official said: “The referendum was on the Lisbon Treaty, not on Irish membership of the Union.”

The poll released yesterday will bring little comfort to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his colleagues. Only 29% of Britons surveyed tend to trust the European Union - the lowest figure of any country. But even fewer trust Westminster (27%) or the government (24%).

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