France is Ireland's closest EU neighbour, but one of the State's big strategic challenges in the post-Brexit era is to ensure that geographic proximity is reflected in closer political, economic and personal ties between the two countries.
Steady progress has been made over recent decades in increasing trade between the two countries, albeit from a relatively low base. That focus was driven partly by Irish eagerness to ease dependence on the British market for export revenue, an imperative that grew more acute after the Brexit referendum in 2016. The presence of diplomats and agency staff in France was duly increased – the latest sign of that expansion is a new consulate in Lyon – and a six-year strategy aimed at strengthening Franco-Irish relations, published by government in 2019, set out useful ideas for developing the relationship.
At political level, the four-year process to extricate the UK from the EU brought Dublin and Paris closer together. Under President Emmanuel Macron, France showed steadfast support for Ireland's concerns in relation to Northern Ireland in particular. That solidarity was consistent with French interests – Macron wanted to project unity amongst the EU27 and to resist British attempts to peel Paris and Berlin away from the rest and circumvent the European Commission – but it also reflected a genuine affinity. Dublin has several allies at the French Cabinet table, including foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Europe minister Clément Beaune. Both men will accompany Macron when he visits Dublin today.
The Brexit saga obscured points of bilateral tension. One of these – corporate tax – has returned to the agenda and is likely to figure prominently in Macron's discussions in Dublin. Ireland recognises that the debate is moving against it, exemplified by the G7 decision, championed by Macron, to back a major global reform package, but will play for time until it sees the outcome of moves in the US Congress and at OECD level on the issue. Divergences between the two capitals on the next steps in EU integration are easier to manage given that looming elections in Germany and France will keep any new treaty change initiatives off the table for now.
The Irish Times view on pension reform at CIÉ: little public sympathy
The Irish Times view on Irish citizens in Afghanistan: a race against the clock
The Irish Times view of the impact of Brexit on Irish trade: temporary or long lasting?
The Irish Times view on Heritage Week: Something for every citizen
In the long run, political and economic connections will have to be undergirded by closer ties between people. Public perceptions on both sides are still shaped by romanticised, largely imagined versions of the other, and rhetoric about close bilateral bonds is conspicuously rooted in examples from the past, not the present. At around 20,000, Ireland’s emigrant population in France is small, while Ireland’s aversion to learning other people’s languages severely limits its ability to know its neighbour. Without the tools and the opportunities to speak to one another, any attempt to bring the two countries closer can only go so far.