Address by Ms Sile de Valera Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, to an audience at Boston College, Massachusetts, on Monday, September 18th, 2000
When I travel abroad, I'm frequently asked, "What brought about the Celtic Tiger?" Was it the large investment in education, economic and fiscal policies, industrial policies, or just good luck? I suppose the answer is a combination of all. But our ability to take advantage of our membership of the Europe Union has also been an important factor.
Participation in the European Union has been good for Ireland. The Union has worked well. But it is not the cornerstone of what our nation is and should be.
When we joined what was then the European Economic Community in the early 1970s, there were fears that membership would make us less Irish, would damage our unique identity, culture and traditions. It didn't happen. The emphasis in those earlier years was on economic progress and development. As the EEC developed into the European Community and later the European Union, decisions, other than economic ones, were taken. They seemed secondary to us at the time. But we have found that directives and regulations agreed in Brussels can often seriously impinge on our identity, culture and traditions. The bureaucracy of Brussels does not always respect the complexities and sensitivities of member-states.
Brussels, Birmingham, the Burren; the same European Union, different worlds.
I look forward to a future in which Ireland will exercise a more vigilant, a more questioning attitude to the European Union. Last year, I spoke in Australia on the theme, "A Republic - An Irish Perspective". In the course of that address I spoke of the need for a debate in Ireland on our place in the European Union and its place in our lives. In recent months there has been some comment in the media about our role in that entity, but not enough. Debate is important; we must ensure that it comes about.
At present, the Irish Government is actively promoting decentralisation. In the European Union, the opposite is taking place with the push towards closer integration. It is a move I would not personally favour. It is not necessarily in our interests. The European Union is on course almost to double in size. With enlargement, the emphasis will shift towards the east.
While we must be diligent in protecting our own interests, the responsibility that accompanies our membership demands that we are diligent too in our attention to European Union business, such as in the shaping of European foreign policy.
The late President John F. Kennedy remarked in 1963 that "Ireland pursues an independent course in foreign policy, but it is not neutral between liberty and tyranny and never will be". Neutrality does not mean burying our heads in the sand and taking no part in debate. In fact, for me, it means the opposite. It means bringing, in this case, to the EU table views that are free, fair and unencumbered. In simple language, it means bringing no baggage to the table.
As we embraced Europe, we seemed at times to forget our close and very important ties with the United States of America. History has forged deep bonds between us. In recent times, American investment in Ireland has been important in our economic progress.
And those bonds that histories forged were doubly strengthened by your country's pivotal role in our country's peace process. President Clinton was an influential figure, a central player in that process. As his presidency draws to a close we must be prepared to make every effort to maintain and foster that relationship with the next President of the USA.