As we mark 50 years of membership of what is now the European Union, it is right to reflect on how EU membership has shaped our country’s development over five decades.
It is the story of an extraordinary transformation, as contributions to this special supplement recall. I hope it will offer inspiration to those countries now looking to join the EU — from Ukraine to the western Balkans.
Today Ireland is a modern, prosperous, and progressive country. As this supplement shows, it is impossible to talk about trade and the economy, farming and food, the green agenda, peace on this island, or the development of civil rights without reference to the role played by our EU membership.
The EU is, of course, first and foremost built on a set of values. These include freedom, democracy, equality, human rights and the rule of law.
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These fundamental, shared values cut across all the union’s activities and are set out in law and agreed upon by every member state.
They are the vital building blocks that underpin the sharing of sovereignty and the deep-rooted co-operation between member states that the union embodies.
They create a union of legal certainty, and they have a profound practical value. We have seen how the solidarity, partnership, and co-operation of our partners have transformed Ireland from one of the least developed member states to where it is today.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the single market which has been central to Ireland’s economic success.
It is now the cornerstone of the European economy and a driver of innovation and prosperity, reducing transaction costs, aligning regulatory standards and rules and opening access to a market of more than 450 million people. Membership of the Euro, our common currency, also allows for a more seamlessly integrated single market.
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Funding provided through the EU budget helps less wealthy member states reach their full potential as Ireland’s experience over many decades demonstrates.
Regional, structural and agricultural funds, in particular, have helped provide vital investment in essential infrastructure, our rural and farming communities, and in the education and training of our people. Today they are helping drive the green agenda, Europe’s ambitious plans to deal with climate change.
Ireland is proud of what we have achieved in the EU and of what we have contributed to shaping the union we live in today.
Our economic progress means that we are now net contributors to the union’s budget — paying in more each year than we take out — supporting the progress and development of our EU partners, as others supported us.
Our experience also drives our wish to see the opportunities we have enjoyed made available to the wider European family.
We not only stand with the people of Ukraine in their courageous defence of their country and their values, which we share. We also stand with them in their wish to see Ukraine become an EU Member state.
We believe that EU membership could also drive peace and prosperity in the countries of the western Balkans.
Founded in the aftermath of the devastation of the second World War, the EU was conceived as a peace project, and as many European countries as possible should be able to benefit. That commitment to peace has been clearly demonstrated on this island, where the EU has been a dependable partner throughout the peace process and remains resolute in its support for the Belfast Agreement, which will mark its 25th anniversary this year.
The new Peace Plus programme, which will have a budget of more than €1 billion, will be a further contribution to strengthening peace, reconciliation, and cross-Border co-operation in Ireland.
Throughout the last five decades, Ireland has sought to be a constructive, credible, and positive member state. Our contribution across the full range of union policies has been to the benefit of Ireland and to the EU as a whole.
The greatest challenges we face today — whether Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine and its economic consequences or the urgent need to take action on climate change — can only be successfully confronted by working together with our EU friends and partners.
If the case for Irish membership was compelling 50 years ago, it is even more so now.
The European ideal has always been inspired by a spirit of optimism and a belief in a better future. Recent crises have tested this ideal, but they have not broken it.
Today’s EU is bigger, more diverse and deeper than the one we joined in 1973. It is our home that we have helped to build together with our partners, and its foundations are strong.
We can look to our next 50 years of membership with confidence and ambition.