Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

We have been in discussion with other countries at EU level and I made the point that Ireland opens its borders. Our colleagues have been surprised at the numbers that have come to Ireland and they acknowledge that Ireland opened its borders for the previous accession.

There is pressure on other countries but they must make their own decisions and cannot slavishly follow others. Similarly, we must make decisions based on the circumstances that pertain at a particular time. A number of countries, including France, Germany and Belgium, have indicated they will probably impose restrictions. Time is running out for those countries regarding the previous enlargement and between 2009 and 2011 they will be compelled to allow full access.

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