Ireland and the European Union 1973-2023 was held on Wednesday at the University of Debrecen by Ronan Gargan, Ireland’s ambassador to Hungary, who visited the institution at the invitation of the Anglo-American Institute of the Faculty of Humanity, writes unideb.hu.
Ireland officially joined the European Community on January 1, 1973, 50 years ago. 83 percent of Irish voters cast their vote in favor of accession.
The half-century milestone is a good opportunity to reflect on the results of Ireland’s membership of the European Union (EU) and what it means to be Irish and European at the same time
– said Ronan Gargan at the opening of his presentation on the island.
In his presentation, the ambassador emphasized the positive impact of EU membership on the Irish economy and society, and talked about Brexit and the Global Ireland 2025 strategic initiative, an important element of which was Ireland’s membership of the UN Security Council in 2021-22. In addition, it affected the actions and strategic plans of the Irish government in relation to the challenges of climate change.
After the presentation, Ronan Gargan opened the poster exhibition entitled EU 50 – Ireland 1973-2023, presenting the successes and achievements of the 50 years since accession, which – among other things – covers the central role of agriculture and fishing, which are decisive in the life of the Irish, and the agricultural and food industry, which is almost It employs 170,000 people and for the export of Irish food and drinks, the value of which is close to 15 billion euros per year.
The exhibition devotes a special panel to the Irish role in the diplomatic life of the European Union and in trade and also describes the progress made in the field of equal treatment, training opportunities, working conditions and employment.
The exhibition also describes the state of education. Thanks to the Erasmus program, since its launch in 1987, more than 65,000 Irish students and workers have been able to continue their studies across Europe.
Today it is difficult to imagine Ireland without the European Union, just like the EU without Ireland
– concluded the diplomat.
After the presentation and the opening of the exhibition, Róbert Keményfi, the dean of the Faculty of Humanity, welcomed Ambassador Ronan Gargan, who spoke highly of the faculty’s work in the field of Irish cultural education, and at the same time promised to provide all support for the high-quality continuation of the education in the future.
