Ireland and the European Union - Identifying Priorities and Pursuing Goals, 3rd Edition 2005

Foreword

Ireland's membership of the European Union has been a key factor in the transformation of the Irish economy over the past decade. In particular our access to the vast EU internal market, the richest and most sophisticated in the world, has been vital to securing investment and jobs in Ireland.

On 1 May 2004, at a Day of Welcomes ceremony in Dublin, we welcomed 10 new Member States into the Union. Bulgaria and Romania are expected to join in 2007. The expansion of the EU to 28 Member States is a historic achievement. It closes a bleak chapter in Europe's history. It replaces a Europe divided by the Iron Curtain with a strong and united Europe working to promote growth, employment, social solidarity, environmental protection and security for all of its 460 million citizens. The accession of the 10 new Member States will over time affect how the EU goes about its business. It will be important for Ireland to build on the already very positive relations we have with these new Member States. To further this objective, the Government decided that Ireland should have resident Embassies in each of our EU partners.

We are in the process of opening Embassies in Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and in the accession States of Romania and Bulgaria. These new missions will promote our trade, investment, tourism and cultural relations with these new EU partners. In this enlarged Union of 25 member States (27 in 2007), Ireland is no longer one of the poorer States. Our high growth rates over the past decade and our continuing strong economy mean that we are advancing into the ranks of the more prosperous Member States. We will, in time, become a net contributor to, rather than a beneficiary of, the EU's budget.

Enlargement also brings with it new challenges. It is fundamentally in Ireland's interest that the enlarged EU should be able to take the decisions necessary to confront the opportunities arising from globalisation, particularly the rapid growth in the Asian economies.

In June 2004, as a result of intensive efforts by Ireland in our capacity as EU Presidency, the EU Member States agreed the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. The European Constitution provides the foundation for the new enlarged EU. It reflects the fundamental values of the Union including respect for human dignity, democracy and the rule of law. It provides new legal rights for the EU's citizens. It establishes the division of powers between the Union and its Member States. It facilitates decisionmaking in the enlarged EU and makes it more transparent and accountable, including through new powers for national Parliaments.

The European Constitution has to be ratified by all 25 Member States. At the time of writing the Constitution has been approved by 13 Member States while 2, France and The Netherlands, have rejected it. Against this background the European Council, at its meeting in June 2005, agreed
that there should be a pause in the ratification process for the European Constitution. The European Council also initiated a broad debate on the European Constitution and on Europe generally.

The Government has welcomed this debate and believes it should be used to explain to our people why the European Constitution is in Ireland's and Europe's interests. The rejection of the European Constitution in two of the founding members of the European Union is a significant development. It highlights the need for Governments to listen, to explain and to inform. In Ireland, I want this period of reflection to be used to encourage our people to look out at the new Europe of 25 member States, to recognize the historic changes that have taken place in the EU over the past decade, to understand what Ireland has both gained from and contributed to the EU and to consider how the new enlarged EU should continue to serve the interests of all its people in a rapidly changing world.

It is my firm view that the more people consider these issues, the more they will come to see that the European Constitution is the best possible foundation for this new Europe, a foundation that will ensure that we can face up to the challenges of preserving Europe's economic and social model while successfully dealing with the challenges of globalisation.

This 3rd Edition of Ireland and the European Union: Identifying Priorities and Pursuing Goals sets out our key national objectives in the European Union for the coming period. It shows the range and breadth of Ireland's involvement in the Union and highlights the key issues facing us in the coming months. While we are now a longstanding, experienced and highly respected member of the Union, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to work hard at promoting Ireland's interests in the Union while, at the same time, ensuring that the Union continues to be the anchor of peace and stability on the European continent.

Bertie Ahern, T.D.

Taoiseach

Ireland and the EU IPPG 2005 En.pdf (532 KB)
IrelandandEUPPG2005.rtf (193 KB)

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