Brendan Halligan recently gave a lecture on A Small State in a Large Union: The Irish Experience to the Europa Institute at the University of Edinburgh on 1 September 2014.
It focuses on the political strategy employed by Ireland throughout its membership of the European Union and analyses the principles upon which it is based.
While the experience of each state is unique to itself it is suggested that lessons applicable to small states in general can be drawn from the Irish experience. The evolution of the European Economic Community into the European Union over the forty-year period from 1973 is traced for its impact on Irish strategy.
The emergence of a “Core Europe”, consisting of the Eurozone, and the emergence of the “Union Method” of decision-making are both examined for their long run implications for the Union as a whole and for small Member States in particular.
