SAFE streets, sound money, secure jobs and continuing peace - these were the objectives of the Dublin summit, the Taoiseach told the final press conference.
In all these areas, Ireland's Presidency of the EU and the Dublin summit had made significant progress, Mr Bruton declared. The presidency had also brought Europe significantly closer to the citizens of the EU, he said.
The President of the European Commission, Mr Jacques Santer, defined the aims of the summit in similar terms: "Stable money, secure jobs and a healthy Union - that's what this European Council was about."
Mr Santer said that "without reservation" the summit had been "a great success". "The single currency has become more visible than ever. Dublin has shown all past scepticism - to be wrong. It has shown what political determination, perseverance and optimism can achieve."
The Taoiseach told the press conference that member-states had achieved a "major agreement" on co-ordinated action against drug abuse and drug trafficking, and had made significant progress in the fight against organised crime. At the summit, it had been also agreed that the eastern European countries applying to join the EU would also take part in the measures against crime.
"We have agreed a package of measures on crime that no one six months ago would have believed would be agreed," he said.
The declaration on unemployment would help to create the conditions for generating more employment in Europe. States were no longer in the business of creating jobs, but they could play an important role in creating the right conditions for more employment.
On "the most important objective of all", the maintenance of peace in Europe, Mr Bruton said the agreement to give a further impetus to the Inter Governmental Conference would create the basis for extending the zone of peace and security embraced by the EU.
According to Mr Santer, all guarantees were now in place to make the euro "one of the strongest currencies in the world". The single currency was becoming "a palpable reality".
Unemployment remained "intolerably high" but it was obvious that combating the problem remained principally a matter for the member-states.
Responding to journalists' questions, Mr Bruton conceded there were "arguments" over the flexibility that would be allowed in the process of European integration. However, these would be sorted out in the IGC over the next six months.
"We have shown over the last few days - that once there's a will to agree, even though the problems may he immensely complex, an agreement will be reached at the last minute, and not before."
Mr Bruton defended the system of rotating the presidency among the member- states. He disagreed with a suggestion that the presidency placed a tremendous burden on small states such as Ireland. It was only by holding the presidency that each state could come to understand the extent of the problems facing other states.
He was supported by Mr Santer, who said that smaller states were usually more motivated to serve the Union than their larger counterparts.
The Tanaiste expressed-disappointment at the lack of understanding among the public of the IGC revealed in the opinion poll carried in The Irish Times on Saturday. However, Mr Spring said this was not surprising given the technical nature of the discussions.
Any fair-minded person would say that Ireland had run a good presidency, he added.
