Ireland and the United Kingdom can work together on joint plans to reform the European Union, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore said tonight, after talks in London with British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
“We would like to see a future where we work with Britain on a common and shared view as to how the European Union should develop. That is a dialogue that we are very willing to have,” he said, speaking in Mr Clegg’s office.
Accepting the need for some reforms, Minister Gilmore said: “There is always room for improvement in the way that it does its business. I can say that with some authority. We have just finished six months as presidency.”
He went on: “We have views on things that can be reformed, but those are things that we can work on together. As far as Ireland is concerned it is in our national interest that Britain remains part and parcel of the EU.”
Meanwhile, Mr Clegg emphasised the dangers of an UK exit from the EU:
“If it were ever to happen, which I don’t believe it will, it would be hugely damaging to the UK, hugely damaging to Ireland since we are so joined at the hip economically and I think in many ways it would impoverish the EU as a whole.”
