Repeated claims that Ireland's increasing involvement with Europe would bring economic ruin and a loss of identity have all been proved to be wrong, the Taoiseach has said.
Speaking to the heads of EU diplomatic missions in Dublin last night, Mr Ahern said Europe had brought great economic advances to Ireland. "In the 25 years since Ireland joined the European Community we have made unprecedented economic strides." Each step of opening up Ireland to the world since the late 1950s had faced opposition, he said. "Be it the ending of protective tariffs, the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Agreement, our membership of the EEC, the ratification of the Single European Act or the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty."
The Amsterdam Treaty marked a further stage in Ireland's engagement with Europe. "Our continued participation in European integration, along with membership of Economic and Monetary Union, is absolutely vital to our further economic growth and to maintaining international confidence in the Irish economy."
He predicted that many alarmist claims would be made about the Amsterdam Treaty in the next few weeks. "These claims are wrong. The Amsterdam Treaty is a good treaty, not just because it takes on board the legitimate national concerns of the various member-states but because it seeks to make the Union better understood, more responsive to its citizens' needs and concerns and more effective."
The treaty, he said, would perform three key tasks:
"Firstly, it will enable Europe to meet the real concerns of its citizens more effectively;
"Secondly, it will enable Europe to play a greater role in international affairs; and
"Thirdly, it will strengthen the internal democracy and institutional effectiveness of the European Union."
He said EU membership was overwhelmingly in Ireland's interest, and that this was the view of the vast majority of the Irish people. "I am very pleased that the five largest political parties in the country have committed themselves to supporting a Yes vote in the referendum."