Fifty years ago, in 1973, Ireland voted to make a leap of faith and join the European Union. In the debate leading up to this decision, there were plenty of people who worried what joining would mean for our future.
And, when you look back and imagine their perspective, you can understand why this may have been. You can also understand why those who voted to join – 83 per cent – could never have dreamed that our decision to join would, over the next 50 years, work out so well.
But the group that probably benefited most directly from membership were the young people of the time. All of a sudden they could travel, work and live in any other member state. It was a radical change in the range of opportunities available to them.
And today, I think young people are probably still those who continue to benefit most from our union. Thanks to EU membership, young people today can travel without visas; when they are inter-railing through the Schengen zone, they don’t have to worry about borders. Nor do they have to worry about roaming, or expensive data or network charges on their phones and devices.
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And today, instead of having the possibility of living and working in eight other countries, they can now live or work in 27 other countries. Children born today have remarkably different expectations of life than those born before 1973 and an understanding that they can pursue opportunities in a variety of places, experiencing different cultures and ways of life.
During third level, many experience what is often a genuinely life-changing experience through the Erasmus Plus programme. For some it is the first real chance to use the foreign language they studied for the Leaving Certificate or in college and for most it is the first time they leave home to live abroad, discovering all the possibility and promise this involves.
And I am certain that our young people can see the value of being part of a union of 27 countries in order to better tackle the big challenges of today’s world.
That’s why, as part of the Government’s EU50 programme, celebrating our 50 years in the EU, together with European Movement Ireland, we launched the MyEU50 competition (https://www.europeanmovement.ie/myeu50/). To ask our young people to think about their European Union.
The primary and post-primary version of the competition wrapped up before Christmas, but not before 5,000 students from across Ireland had their say on what the EU means to them.
Soon we will be launching the third level education part of the competition. This one will focus on creativity and debate – students will be invited to make their submissions through podcasts, speeches, op-eds or posters.
We’re not being too prescriptive – students are free to let their inspiration run wild and I am excited to see what they come up with! So, if you’ve been on Erasmus, or travelled through Europe or have any opinion at all on the EU then I’d really encourage you to get involved.
And for those interested in shaping Ireland’s future and that of the wider European Union, I also encourage you to think about working for the EU.
Over the last 50 years, Irish people working across Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg have hugely contributed to the work and the voice of the EU across all its dimensions. It is so important to continue this legacy and to ensure a strong Irish presence in the EU institutions for the future.
Our young people can play a central role to improve the lives of future generations and build on the progress made, so that the young people who come after them have even more opportunities in life and in Europe.
So whether it’s law, policy, translation, IT, engineering or many more disciplines, I encourage all graduates to think about a career in the EU. For more information, get in touch with us at www.dfa.ie/eujobs.