I welcome what the Commissioner has said and I agree with him. As Jack Lynch foretold many years ago, there are many very important challenges that face Europe today. One of those challenges is enlargement. In the coming weeks, the Irish people will once again be called to vote in a Referendum this time to accept or reject the Nice Treaty, which provides for the necessary changes to prepare the Union for enlargement. As a country which has, and continues to benefit greatly from EU membership, it is in our interests that the Union can operate and take decisions with a larger membership.
Irish people are generous and outward looking.
We want the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to have the same opportunities we had. The decisions taken at Nice bring that day closer. Finally, membership of the EU has provided other significant benefits. We have been able to participate on a broader economic stage with our fellow member states in building the eurozone. We have been able also to have our voice heard in a wider setting.