European Movement Ireland Picture Conor McCabe Photography.
European Movement Ireland held a live podcast discussion at The Royal Irish Academy in Dublin with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD hosted by University College Cork’s Dr Theresa Reidy, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s membership in the EU.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD said,
“It is a pleasure to join European Movement Ireland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s membership of the EU. It is something worth celebrating as the story of modern, prosperous, and progressive twenty-first century Ireland is interwoven with the development of the European Union. It is the story of an extraordinary transformation that I hope will offer inspiration to those countries now looking to join the EU – from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to the countries of the Western Balkans.
“Today’s EU is bigger and more diverse than the one we joined in 1973. It is our home that we have helped to build, and its foundations are strong. We look forward to the next fifty years of membership with confidence and ambition.”
Chair of EM Ireland, Julie Sinnamon said,
“At a significant time of celebration and reflection on Ireland’s connection with the European Union, we were honoured to hear Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Honorary President of EM Ireland, share his thoughts on 50 years of Ireland’s EU membership. It has been reassuring to observe that the public’s attitudes toward the EU has remained positive throughout the past 50 years. An Taoiseach’s participation in the engaging conversation about the past 50 years of EU membership is gratefully acknowledged.”
CEO of EM Ireland, Noelle O Connell said,
“We at EM Ireland have a long history of striving to strengthen the relationship between Ireland and Europe and we were delighted to celebrate this landmark milestone with An Taoiseach.
“This ‘In Conversation’ discussion with An Taoiseach was the final episode in EM Ireland’s podcast series which was launched in May 2022 to mark 50 years of Ireland’s membership of the EU. This special series looks to the past to help us understand how EU membership has left a defining mark on the Ireland of today, in particular how EU values have shaped us as a country.”
The live recording was supported by European Movement International.
Ends
Full podcast is available at EP5 Ireland EU50 Podcast | Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD (europeanmovement.ie).
Photographs issued by / credit:Conor McCabe photography.
Press Queries: Cathy Gray, Head of Communications and Youth Engagement, European Movement Ireland | E: cathy@europeanmovement.ie| 0868075332
Notes:
About European Movement Ireland: Founded in 1954, European Movement (EM) Ireland is the longest established Irish NGO working on European affairs. An independent, not-for-profit, membership organisation, EM Ireland works to develop the connection between Ireland and the European Union. We facilitate links between all sectors of Irish society and the EU, through advocacy campaigns, education programmes, training courses, information briefings and networking events. For more information, visit www.europeanmovement.ie.
About European Movement International
Established in 1948 to promote peace, democracy and European integration, EM International brings together European civil society, employers, trade unions, NGOs, political parties, local government and academia, to provide a platform to encourage and facilitate the active participation of citizens and stakeholders from a cross-section of sectors in the development of European solutions to our common problems.
EM International is the largest pan-European network of national and pan-European organisations with members present in 39 countries. European Movement Ireland is a member of European Movement International and EM Ireland CEO, Noelle O Connell, is Vice-President of EM International.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.