Ireland and the EU

Sir, – Eoin Drea raises important policy questions for Ireland, particularly in relation to solidarity with other EU member states (“Ireland’s budget plan has a name: ‘Sure it’ll be grand’,” Opinion, June 30th). We have heard of some countries, especially Hungary in the recent past, blocking EU policymaking, but on several counts Ireland has been a source of frustration for EU policymaking, something being increasingly highlighted internationally.

For example, we reluctantly agreed some years back to a global minimum corporation tax rate. We have also been resisting plans for a proposed EU savings and investment union. We oppose cuts in expenditure on the Common Agricultural Policy and yet challenge the introduction of new “own” revenue sources for the EU. On defence we do not contribute in any meaningful way to EU security.

However, the fact that Ireland’s annual net contributions to the EU budget are €57 per head annually higher than Denmark, highlighted by Drea, is a non-issue.

Ireland has benefited enormously from corporation tax revenue, some would argue at the expense of other counties, and it is only right that we must contribute this small extra sum to the EU coffers, once this source of revenue continues. Besides, EU net contributions per member state are minuscule compared with the economic gains related to membership of the EU single market. – Yours, etc,