Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are a couple of other issues. The Professor has just touched on the implications for the Good Friday Agreement and another question is on the possibility of dual citizenshipvis-à-visNorthern Ireland.

A couple of other things come to mind. I remember being in Brussels at a meeting just before the economic downturn really hit. Many economic and legal experts were there and there were predictions of doom and gloom all around the place. As a nation, we were being blamed for a lot of the woes that had befallen the entire EU, though there were other people who blamed the European Union for all the woes that had fallen on Ireland. Some things do not change. It was pointed out that the real problem was the inflexibility of the European Central Bank vis-à-visexchange rates in a context where no country could devalue. There was a theory that the euro was overvalued, which it probably was at the time, but it was also said that each member state had no control. This was not true because they could have introduced currency controls at any time they wanted. The theory opposing that was based on the belief that to do so in a particular way would cause an implosion but that did not happen. We have currency controls now, as well as a reduction in the value of the euro so all those issues should appear resolved.

The fundamental problem for the future of the EU is the degree to which individual member states seem to look at themselves and see that the Union is no longer in accord with their views and ambitions. The question then arises as to whether their ambitions are in accord with the Union. The conclusion they come to is that a loose economic arrangement is the ideal scenario for the future. However, they forget that such a thing existed before the EU and it was deemed not to have worked.

No matter which way we look at this situation it is not a good place to be. There are serious implications for Ireland, for Britain and for the EU. It behoves all of us to apply ourselves to identify how the issues that are causing the concern can best be resolved. The founding fathers of the EU had a different vision altogether and they were clear as to what they wanted. They had history close to their elbow when they made their decisions and that was a very convincing factor for people at the time. Perhaps Professor Maher would address that.