Andrews says economic success "impossible without EU membership"
Department of Foreign Affairs Press Release
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Andrews says economic success "impossible without EU membership"
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr David Andrews T.D., said that the transformation of our economy during the 1990s "would have been impossible without membership of the European Union."
Mr Andrews, who was addressing the German-Irish Chamber of Commerce, said that our strong economic performance can only be consolidated within the positive framework provided by the European Union. "Our objective must be to reach a position where our infrastructural development, our productive capacity and our investment in human resources and overall competitiveness are copperfastened on a permanent and sustainable basis. Together with Europe, we need to continue the steady building of an inclusive, dynamic society. The Amsterdam Treaty is another step in this direction. I believe the Irish people on 22 May will massively endorse the progress made to date and the potential we have to make the most of future opportunities in a Europe of freedom, security, justice and economic prosperity."
"Almost within a single generation Ireland has moved from being a relatively insular society with a protected economy to a very open society with one of the most trade dependent economies in the world. It is not so long ago that our export earnings came predominantly from farm commodities, without much added value, which were sold mainly to the neighbouring British market. Accession to the then EEC created a truly dynamic effect for our exports which has transformed our economy into a full player in the wider European economy", Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews said that the economic gains recorded in recent years were due to a number of factors including: much better budgetary discipline in government underpinned by the need to meet the Maastricht criteria for EMU qualification; significant investment in our infrastructure, particularly in telecommunications, roads, ports and airports; moderate wage increases through a series of comprehensive agreements involving Government and social partners; and reform of welfare supports to help unemployed people make the transition back to the world of work.
Mr Andrews said that the people's decision on the Good Friday Agreement and the Treaty of Amsterdam "will have the most important implications for the political and economic future of this island; for the next stage in the process of European integration and for Ireland's place at the heart of that process."
He said he was confident that Irish people recognised the realities of our European membership, what the EU has contributed to Ireland, and the role we have played within the Union. "We have enhanced our role on the European and international stage, and carved out a presence in Europe and the world which far exceeds the normal expectations of a country of our size."
