José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, on Thursday sought to reassure Ireland that its corporate tax policy would not be affected by voting Yes to the Lisbon reform treaty, which is set to be put to referendum in June.

During a visit to Dublin on Thursday – the latest high ranking European politician enlisted by the Fianna Fail-led government to make the case for Europe – Mr Barroso said “there is no relation between anything regarding initiatives on tax and Lisbon. No one will be able to impose on Ireland a decision.”