IRELAND, ESTONIA and other "like-minded" European Union countries need to combine to oppose growing support in the EU for trade protectionism, the Estonian president, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, has said.
Speaking at an official lunch yesterday hosted by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Mr Ilves said both Ireland and Estonia, which joined the union in 2004, were strongly dependent on exports, particularly of services.
In "a mood of increasing protectionism" amongst some EU member states, there are "some who would like to re-erect barriers that the EU spent over 50 years demolishing" and like-minded states "need to stick together in order to keep the ideas of Europe alive".
Emphasising the links between the two countries, he said Estonia had completely altered its foreign policy ambitions in 1996, up to when it had sought Nato membership above everything else, after watching Ireland's handling of the EU presidency.
"Up to 1996 we had one foreign policy goal which was to join Nato," said Mr Ilves. "Then we realised that we had to join the EU and that all else will follow. Seeing how much you had accomplished led to that complete shift in policy."
In his speech, the Taoiseach said Estonia had made remarkable progress since it had joined the EU during the Irish 2004 EU presidency, and now surpassed average Portuguese income levels.
Both Ireland and Estonia believed that the "special needs" of the EU's furthermost states had to be pushed at Brussels level.
