Charting some of the changes in Ireland’s economic and social history to mark 50 years of Ireland in the EU.
Ireland joined the European Economic Community(ECC): Some 83.09% of the electorate voted in favour of joining
Common Agricultural Policy
Common Fisheries Policy
Civil Service (Employment of Married Women) Act 1973
Anti-Discrimination (Pay) Act 1974
First Presidency of the European Council: Work began on creating a Passport Union and common rights for European Community citizens.
Eurofound: The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (based in Ireland)
Second Irish European Council Presidency
European citizens had for the first time directly elected representatives to the European Parliament. Ireland elected 15 representatives, or Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
The Irish pound joined the European Monetary System (EMS)
Third Irish European Council Presidency: A significant achievement of this Presidency was its work in achieving agreement on the issue of humanitarian aid in Africa. During this time, Member States agreed to allocate an additional IR£23 million in emergency aid to Africa and to allocate an additional 100 tonnes of grains in emergency food aid towards famine relief measures.
Single European Act: In April 1987, in Crotty v An Taoiseach the Supreme Court ruled that as the Single European Act “was a significant and decisive step along the path to a single European foreign policy” it could only be ratified by referendum.
On 26 May 1987 a referendum on the Single European Act was held and 70% of the electorate voted in favour of it. Due to the judicial proceedings, Ireland missed the 01 January deadline for ratifying the Treaty. This delayed its enactment across the entire EU.
Fourth Irish Presidency: During the Presidency, a special European Council meeting was held in Dublin in April 1990. The Council agreed a common approach to German unification to allow for the smooth integration of the former territory of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) into the Union. It also agreed a common approach to Community relations with Central and Eastern European countries after the fall of the 'Iron Curtain’.
Treaty of European Union: Ireland held a referendum on the Maastricht Treaty on 18 June 1992. The referendum was passed with 69.1% of the electorate voting yes. The Maastricht Treaty paved the way for the creation of an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) comprising some, but not all, EU Member States. This is now known as the eurozone or euro area.
Fifth Irish Presidency: During the Presidency, agreement was reached on a variety of matters concerning the introduction of a single European currency (the euro). These included the legal framework underpinning the use of the euro, the Stability and Growth Pact and a new Exchange Rate Mechanism. The ‘Dublin Declaration on Employment’ was also adopted during the Presidency. The Declaration set out national and Community measures to stimulate employment across the Community. Ireland and 10 other Member States formally started using the euro as official currency, replacing their national currencies, on 01 January 2002.
Treaty of Amsterdam: Ireland held a referendum on the Treaty of Amsterdam on 22 May 1998. The referendum was passed with 61.74% of the electorate voting yes. This would lay the groundwork for a further enlargement of the Union and reform of the EU institutions.
Treaty of Nice: On 07 June 2001, Ireland held a referendum on the Treaty of Nice. It was the first European referendum to be rejected by the people. The referendum was defeated with 53.9% of the electorate voting No. The turnout at 34.8% was the lowest for any EU referendum.
In response to the rejection of the Treaty by the Irish electorate, the Irish Government obtained a declaration that the Treaty did not undermine Irish neutrality. A second referendum on the Treaty was held on 19 October 2002. The referendum was passed with 62.89% of the electorate voting Yes.
Sixth Irish European Presidency: The theme of the Presidency was ‘Europeans – working together’. In what is known as ‘The Day of Welcomes’, 10 new Member States were welcomed into the EU in the Phoenix Park, Dublin on 01 May 2004. This was the largest single enlargement in the history of the EU. Negotiations on the European Constitutional Treaty were finalised during the Presidency.
Irish became an official language of the European Union: Irish was recognised as a twenty-third official working language of the EU on 01 January 2007.
Treaty of Lisbon: On 12 June 2008, Ireland held a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. The referendum was defeated with 53.4% of the electorate voting No. Ireland was the only Member State to hold a referendum on the Treaty and its rejection took the EU by surprise. In response to the rejection of the Treaty by the Irish electorate, the Irish Government obtained a number of guarantees from EU leaders. These included a commitment that the Treaty would not affect Irish law or policy on certain issues such as neutrality or tax. In addition, Member States would retain a permanent EU Commissioner. A successful second referendum on the Treaty was held on 02 October 2009 with 67.1% of the electorate voting Yes.
Program of Financial Support for Ireland (EU – IMF Program): In November 2010, following a banking and ultimately a fiscal crisis, the Irish Government agreed to formally request financial support through a ‘bail-out’ package (Programme of Financial Support for Ireland) worth €85 billion.
Fiscal Stability Treaty: In March 2012, the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance, otherwise known as the Fiscal Stability Treaty, was signed by 25 member states.
Seventh Irish European Presidency: The themes of the Presidency were Stability, Jobs and Growth. During the Presidency, agreements were reached on the seven-year €960 billion EU Budget (Multiannual Financial Framework or MFF), a single supervisor for the banking sector, and a €16 billion budget for education and training, youth and sport (Erasmus for All). Agreements were also reached on the seventh Environmental Action Programme, reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy and a negotiating mandate for an EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Marriage Act 2015: Ireland officially passed the same-sex marriage referendum with 1.2 million people voting in its favour. Ireland became the first country to approve same sex marriage by popular vote.
United Kingdom referendum on European membership: Following a referendum held on 23 June 2016, the British people voted to leave the European Union.
United Kingdom formally leaves the European Union: On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom formally left the European Union after 47 years of membership. This was the first time a member state withdrew from the Union, reducing the number of member states to 27.
Irish gains full status as an official and working language: On 01 January 2022, a derogation limiting the amount of material published by the EU institutions that could be translated into Irish expired. This had been in place since 2007 and was gradually reduced since 2015. As a result, Irish is now on an equal footing to the other 23 official languages of the EU, with full status as an official and working language.
Ireland marks 50 years of membership of the EU.
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