Economic Community, now the EU.
“I became Minister for Foreign Affairs ten weeks
after we joined the EEC. My view was that this was
something that we should embrace as a combination
of the EEC agricultural policy and its social policy
meant that we would be the biggest beneficiaries.
We were maintaining our neutrality and therefore
did not contribute to defence, but we would be
benefiting more from membership than any other
state, so we would not have been very popular
within the Community if we were not seen to be
very positive and enthusiastic Europeans. My policy
therefore was to be as positive as possible regarding
the EU and to make use of Presidencies to gain
credit and goodwill. We did this and were very
successful at it.”
Ireland’s success in attracting foreign direct
investment from the United States however, became
one of the areas of contention within the EU.
“We had a lot of goodwill from France and
Germany, as long as we were poor. Later they began
to resent the fact that we started attracting a great
deal of Greenfield investment from the US in t ?P??FR??2?6?vR??7B6??R?bF?Bv??Gv????#RP??bF?RF?F??V?&W"??2??6VBF?F?Rf?VR??`???fW7F?V?G2??WW&?Rg&??F?RU2?????V?FV@?W???&V??B?V?F??FV??F??Vv??F?R66W72F???&?WG2v2F?R??7B&V?Vf?6??7V7B?bF?RURF??W2?F?R&V??f??b?'7F6?W2F?G&FR?B&?f?V?@???7B?B???vVBW2F???7&V6R?W"W??'G0?7V'7F?F????( ?6??v?W&RF?W2f?G?vW&?B6VRF?R6?W&6W2?`?V6????2w&?wF?f?"?&V??B??F?RgWGW&S??( ?b??R????BF?R?V?&W'2?F?R&?Bw&?wF??0???B&VV???v??G2??B?2&VV???6W'f?6W2??&V??@?&?f?FW22R?bF?R6W'f?6W2FV?fW&VBv?&?Gv?FR??W@?vR????fR?rR?bF?Rv?&?N( ?2?V?F????F??0??26?V&??&VF?BvR6?f?7W2???BFWfV??( ???v?fV???2W?FV?6?fRW?W&?V?6R???f?vF??rF?P??F????V6????F?&?Vv?&?Vv?6V2??2f?G?vW&?@?6??f?FV?BF?B?&V??B6?GW&?F?RF?FS??( ?F????F?Bv?B?2&VV?F??Rv???V?F??FV????fb??b6?W'6R?F?Rf?W"?V"'VFvWBv27'V6????B?0??V6W76'?vR6???BF?F?B?B6VR?BF?&?Vv??( ???