The expansion of the European Union with the ratification of the Nice treaty will give us an enormous opportunity. Ireland will become a more important player in the European Union rather than having a diluted role, as some would contend. At the moment we are the second smallest economy in the EU. This will no longer be the case with the expansion of the Union to the east. Smaller states, some smaller than us, will be included. To a great extent they have the same concerns as us. They will provide an opportunity for like minded countries to change the nature of the Union. We need ideals and we must examine where we want this country to go, not just over the next year or the coming five years. We should look as far as 2020.