Now in its fortieth year in membership of the EU, it is important that we understand why Ireland joined the EEC. In this essay I will examine the reasons as to why Ireland joined the EEC and what were the benefits for Ireland in EEC membership. Ireland had applied to the EEC in 1961 but was unsuccessful. In 1961 the Taoiseach Sean Lemass wanted again to join the EEC. He put the plans in motion for Ireland to join; in 1962 in Brussels at a Member of the Governments meeting he gave the following statement, “Ireland belongs to Europe by history, tradition and sentiment no less than by geography. Our destiny is bound up with that of Europe and our outlook and our way of life have for fifteen centuries been moulded by the Christian ideals and …show more content…
With accession to the EEC this would open borders in terms of the economy to other countries , which fuelled into the desire to increase trade with other countries not just Britain. The Irish economy at the time needed to be reformed and joining the EEC was viewed as an aid to this reform. Aspects of the Rome Treaty Appealed to Ireland such as “that it called for common policies in agriculture, transport as well as harmonisation of policy in the fiscal and other fields.” Ireland wanted to be part of this “Community”, not be left out on the side-lines to fend for itself but to be part of something that appeared to be building sustainable economies within the six …show more content…
Ireland and the European Communities. Goldenbridge, Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1983. Ec.europa.eu. "Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy – EU Regional Policy." 2013. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/regional_policy/index_en.htm (accessed 4 Dec 2013). Ec.europa.eu. "Impact of EU membership on Ireland." 2013. http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/ireland_in_the_eu/impact_of_membership_on_ireland/index_en.htm (accessed 3 Dec 2013). House of the Oireachtas. Statement by Sean Lemass (Brussels, 18 January 1962). Dublin: House of the Oireachtas, 2012. Last Modified October 10 2012. http://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/2005/1/20/0187eb1a-39f6-4268-9f0e-e527f2e8b088/publishable_en.pdf. (Accessed 2 Dec 2013). Kearney, Brendan. The Past, Present and Future of Irish Agriculture. The Past, Present and Future of Irish Agriculture. IIEA, 2011. www.iiea.com/documents/iiea-paper-for-brendan-kearney. (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Keogh, Dermot. "THE DIPLOMACY OF `DIGNIFIED CALM': AN ANALYSIS OF IRELAND'S APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE EEC, 1961--1963." Chronicon 4, no. 1393-5259 (1997): 1-68. Accessed 2 Dec
of Ireland as they felt it would help the republic have a say in the
Not a unified and separate country until 1921, Northern Ireland has had cultural, financial, and economic that makes it stand affront from the rest of the Emerald Isles. With its close proximity to England and the immigration all through the 1600s of English and Scottish, Northern Ireland has become more anglicized th...
that brings the reader’s eye to the effect of sociopolitical policies on the Irish by the
Ireland has a very conflicted history. Just when that history may seem to take a turn for the better, it seems that there is always another event to keep the trend of depression ongoing. The separation of the Protestant and Catholic Church would be the center of these events. However, the two different groups could potentially work together for the betterment of the nation. Through an analysis of why Protestants and Catholics split in the first place, disadvantages that Catholics would face in the coming years and also how these disadvantages were lifted, an argument will be developed in that there is perhaps the chance that they may end up working together in the future for the betterment of Ireland. Although these two groups would fight over the countless decades, they need to join into one entity if they wish to see a better future for Ireland.
The real turning point for an economic policy focused on productivity came from Sean Lemass, the economic architect of modern Ireland, who during his mandates as minister for Industry & Commerce tried to move away from the protectionist policies that had been in place since the 1930s towards international trade and commerce. He focused his programme on foreign investment, tax breaks and grants that were provided to foreign firms wishing to set up a company in Ireland, this would have contributed to create economic prosperity in the country and reduce the big problem of unemployment. Following the introduction of this programme, employment fell by a third; at the end of the 1960s, 350 foreign companies had settled in Ireland starting what we can call the industrial colonization and, by employing the 25% of the industrial labour work in the country, emigration reduced considerably and the population grew f...
The Irish and British governments fought for many years over the ownership of Northern Ireland. Britain had main control over Northern Ireland, and Ireland did not think that was fair. Be...
In Our group essay we are going to analyzing the state of Ireland’s economy, from before the Celtic tiger through to the here and now and what the future holds for the citizens of the state. This topic is a heavily discussed in todays news and has been for quite some time. From an economic perspective we will look at what caused the problems to occur and who was responsible. We will delve into the implications in which the bad decision-making has cost the public and economy at present. We will look at how this could have been prevented and what lessons can be learned from the mistakes for future generations.
‘The Celtic Tiger’ was the term used by Irish people to describe the rapid growth Ireland was witnessing. Ireland was referred to as ‘Europe’s shining light’ since the start of the Celtic Tiger. It had only been 10 years prior to this that Ireland had been branded as the’ poorest of the rich’ in Europe (Ireland shines, 1997). Open-minded industrial policy targeted MNC (Multi National Companies) to locate in Ireland around 1987. The government had decided Ireland would become a knowledge based, export driven economy. After the 90’s Ireland witnessed major growth and Irelands harsh economy of 1987 when unemployment was 18%, national debt was 125% of GNP and growth averaged 0.2% of 5years seemed a long time ago (Murphy, 2000).
The enlargement of the European Union (EU) in 2004 and 2007 has been termed as the largest single expansion of the EU with a total of 12 new member states – bringing the number of members to 27 – and more than 77 million citizens joining the Commission (Murphy 2006, Neueder 2003, Ross 2011). A majority of the new member states in this enlargement are from the eastern part of the continent and were countries that had just emerged from communist economies (EC 2009, Ross 2011), although overall, the enlargement also saw new member states from very different economic, social and political compared to that of the old member states (EC 2009, Ross 2011). This enlargement was also a historical significance in European history, for it saw the reunification of Europe since the Cold War in a world of increasing globalization (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). For that, overall, this enlargement is considered by many to have been a great success for the EU and its citizens but it is not without its problems and challenges (EC 2009, Mulle et al. 2013, Ross 2011). This essay will thus examine the impact of the 2004/2007 enlargements from two perspectives: firstly, the impact of the enlargements on the EU as a whole, and thereafter, how the enlargements have affected the new member states that were acceded during the 2004/2007 periods. Included in the essay will be the extent of their integration into the EU and how being a part of the Commission has contributed to their development as nation states. Following that, this essay will then evaluate the overall success of the enlargement process and whether the EU or the new member states have both benefited from the accessions or whether the enlargement has only proven advantageous to one th...
Wallace, J. (2003). Unions in the 21st century Ireland – Entering the ice age? Industrial News Conference, “No Vision no Future?” (pp. 1-14). Ireland: University of Limerick.
With the introduction of the Euro Zone allowed the Anglo and INBS to compete in the Irish market. Unfortunately, this resulted in the willing...
During the twentieth century, Ireland was suffering through a time of economic hardship. “Economic growth was stagnant, unemployment was at a historic high and exceeded anywhere in the EU, except possibly Spain, and the state was one of the most indebted in the world” . Irish men and women who had received a formal education had immigrated to other nations due to the unavailability of jobs at home. This left Ireland in a state of further economic downfall, and the lack of skilled workers left Ireland stuck. The 1990’s were a turning point for Ireland. A rise in industry within the nation, as well as an increase in exports, led Ireland to become the “shining nation” in Europe. It became internationally linked with one of the biggest power nations, the United States, and international trade became Ireland’s new source for a booming economy. This brought the rise of what was known as the Celtic Tiger in Ireland.
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Lengel, Edward G. 2002. The Irish Through the British Eyes: Perceptions of Ireland in the Famine Era. Westport: Praeger Publishers.
Kennedy, P., Kiely, G., Mathews, A. and Quin, S.,eds. (2005) Contemporary Irish Social Policy, 2nd edition, Dublin: UCD Press.