Brussels to Belfast
Robinson backs EU membership
Signalling a policy split in the DUP, First Minister Peter Robinson has indicated his support for the UK’s continued membership of the EU.
Robinson told the Financial Times in July that Northern Ireland has been used by many US companies as their base in Europe: “So if you take the UK out of Europe obviously that has an impact,” he said. The DUP leader also pointed to the benefits of Peace funding but said that the EU should be an economic rather than political bloc.
Robinson’s past comments have generally been neutral towards the EU although other DUP members have gone further and called for the UK’s withdrawal. Speaking to agendaNi in 2011, Diane Dodds made a strong call for the UK to leave the EU. “I don’t want people from 26 other different countries in Europe deciding what I can or cannot do with my money,” she stated. In May of this year, William McCrea condemned the EU as “a bureaucratic monstrosity that robs the coffers of our nation and squanders our finances needlessly.”
This reflects Ian Paisley’s traditional position although in later years, Paisley welcomed the EU’s enlargement while remaining opposed to more EU powers.
A DUP spokesman said that his party was “firmly Euro-sceptic” and believed that “less Europe” was good for the UK: “Whilst Northern Ireland has benefitted locally from Peace funds, the nature of our relationship with the European Union has so fundamentally changed that it is appropriate for the British people to have their say in a referendum on the matter.”
Croatia: our newest neighbor
Twenty years ago, Croatia was in the midst of a war of independence as Yugoslavia disintegrated. The war claimed around 20,000 lives and resulted in large movements of refugees caught up in the conflict.
On 1 July, Croatia took its place as the 28th member state of the European Union. The country had applied for EU membership in 2003. With a population of 4.3 million, it has seven votes on the Council of Ministers – the same as Ireland. Its new Commissioner, Neven Mimica, is responsible for consumer protection.
Five other former Yugoslav republics are hoping to join the EU: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are candidates.
The British and Irish governments are strong supporters of EU enlargement. It also involves a major net flow of funding from western Europe to eastern Europe and means that Northern Ireland will need to compete with nations and regions in much greater need.
Commission President José Manuel Barroso said that Croatia’s accession “returns the country to its rightful place at the heart of Europe.”
