Volume 1 (1999/2000)
Issue 1 (March 1999)
Issue 2 (Nov. 1999)
Issue 3 (Dec. 1999)
Issue 4 (Feb. 2000)
Issue 5 (March 2000)
Issue 6 (April 2000)
Issue 7 (May 2000)

Volume 2 (2000/2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2000)
Issue 2 (Oct. 2000)
Issue 3 (Jan. 2001)
Issue 4 (March 2001)
Issue 5 (April 2001)
Issue 6 (May 2001)

Volume 3 (2001)
Issue 1 (Sept. 2001)
Issue 2 (Nov. 2001)

Categories
Sport: 1 2 3
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Building an Inclusive Europe

Patrick Nulty
Riversdale CC, Dublin

When the European Economic Community was established under the Treaty of Rome in 1957 only the most optimistic of integrationists' could have anticipated how successful the project would be. The European Union now has fifteen member states and has a combined population of over 160 million people. Moves towards a single market are now almost complete and, despite some teething problems on global financial markets, the Euro (Single European currency) will soon be in our pockets and its use will become an everyday occurrence.

Since joining what was then called the EEC in 1973 Ireland has benefited enormously from membership of the organisation. The income received from EU structural and cohesion funds has helped transform the Irish economy from a stagnant agriculturally based economy to one that is at the forefront of developments in information technology. Irish citizens have also benefited from the importation of European legislation like the "European social charter" which enshrines in European law the rights of workers to freedom of movement, association and fair wages along with many other legal safeguards in the area of gender and racial equality.

Now Ireland's relationship with Europe is changing. The EU is moving slowly but surely towards political as well as economic unity. The prospect of EU enlargement to incorporate countries from Eastern Europe will provide fresh challenges for a small country like Ireland. It is important for Ireland to see these changes within Europe as opportunities rather than threats. We should see membership of the EU in a much broader political context and not simply a money grabbing exercise. The opening up of the economies of Eastern Europe will provide fresh markets for indigenous Irish industry. In addition to this the provision of funds to these countries will help raise living standards and strengthen democracy within these somewhat volatile nations thus securing the stability of the entire continent. This is something that is of benefit to us all.

For the European Union to develop in a positive way it must remove the democratic deficit that unquestionably exists. The corruption that was exposed within the European commission like the misappropriation of European Union funds along with widespread nepotism highlighted the need for changes in the running of the union. The electorate of each member state, and not its current government should choose that country’s representative on the commission and a principle of dual authority with the European parliament should be established. This would involve commissioners being directly accountable to the European Parliament.

On a recent trip to Boston the Irish Arts and Culture minister Ms. Shelia De Valera stated that it was important for European nation states to maintain their cultural and political freedom. While cultural and social diversity is a positive characteristic of any society it is important to see the nation states of Europe as individual pieces within the context of a larger political jigsaw. While always maintaining the principle of subsidiary (that policy is enacted at the appropriate scale) it is a reality of the modern world that the old nation states of Europe are no longer equipped to deal with global issues like the environment, defence and global poverty alleviation on a unilateral basis. It is only through a voluntary sharing of sovereignty and genuine co-operation that Europe can continue to be an example to the rest of the world in terms of economic, social and political development.

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