The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Arts, Ms de Valera, moved yesterday to clarify her controversial speech in which she questioned Ireland's role in the EU.
Ms de Valera said that while she was fully in favour of our experience in Europe, we needed to refocus our priorities as the emphasis shifts to eastern Europe through enlargement.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1 the Minister said that with enlargement we would have a very different Europe to the one we have had over the last 20 years.
"Enlargement will mean, obviously, a different emphasis. The EU will not be the same as we understand it now, and what I am trying to do in all of this is to generate a debate to engender a further interest in things in Europe."
Ms de Valera said she wanted to see enlargement but what she did not want was further centralisation.
"I think what we need is a model that will work and, indeed, enhance the diversity and the complexities of the different nations involved.
"That has always been our strength in Europe and what I don't want to see is further centralisation."
She said she did not want to see the bureaucratic system become more cumbersome and centralised in Brussels, with less debate and less opportunity for people at home to take part in that debate.
Ms de Valera said we have to find a method where we can have integration without centralising, as has been the habit to date.
She said she was not worried about Ireland losing its clout in an enlarged Europe.
"I think we are very well respected in Europe. We are certainly known to be very good Europeans. We are totally committed to Europe. But we will have a very different role to play."
Meanwhile, the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said on RTE radio that she welcomed the fact that senior politicians in Ireland want to have a debate about Europe.
She said that while she remained a strong supporter of Ireland's membership of the EU, she was cautious about further centralisation.
In this regard, she said she was totally opposed to tax harmonisation in Europe. "If we move down that road we might as well forget about elections domestically."
In relation to the Inter-Governmental Conference, Ms Harney said every political party in Ireland wanted to maintain an Irish Commissioner.
"These are among the kind of decisions that are going to be made. There are much more important ones about such as what decisions are going to be made by qualified majority and the reweighting of votes within the Council of Ministers.
"I don't think anybody in Ireland wants to see some very fundamental decisions like issues relating to taxation dealt with at central European level. I do not want to see a United States of Europe, I want to see a Europe of independent member-states."
She said the larger the Union gets the looser the arrangements would be and that would be better for all member-states, particularly Ireland.