Tag Archives: European Union

Irish support for the European Union remains very high and is growing, in particular among young adults, according to a new poll. The Red C poll, commissioned by European Movement Ireland, found 90% support for the EU among Irish people, and that 87% believe that Ireland has, on balance, benefited from the European Union. At 94%, support for Ireland’s EU membership is even higher among young adults in the 18-24 age bracket, up from 85% in 2015. Commenting on the poll findings, Dara Murphy, Minister of State for European Affairs, said, “The findings are particularly significant, coming less than a month before the United Kingdom, our nearest neighbour, goes to the polls on the question of its continued EU membership.” “I’m particularly delighted to see very high support for the EU among young people, with support among the 18-24 age group having increased considerably on last year, to reach 94%.” “Coming from a small open country, I think Irish people …

CLARE TD Pat Breen has claimed a European recession could follow if Britain votes to leave the EU. “If the UK votes to leave the EU, we will find ourselves in unchartered waters. There is no precedent for such a move. No other country has ever sought to exit the EU. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union would come into play. Under this article, a country would automatically cease to be a member of the EU two years after it lodges official notification to withdraw if, in those two years, there is no agreement by the UK or member states to extend the date or a withdrawal agreement is set at a different date. Either way, there would be huge uncertainty and given the volatility of the markets, it is more than likely that the uncertainty would precipitate another European-wide recession.” He said travelling across the border could become more difficult. “Could Brexit mean the return to border …

A terrorist attack on Brussels Airport and a  metro station after 8am local time this morning (Tuesday) has left at least 23 people dead and and a large number seriously injured. The blasts at the airport and metro station have occurred four days after the arrest in Brussels of Saleh Abdeslam, prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November. Belgian police had been on alert for any reprisal action since then. But there has also been a high state of alert across Europe for fear of terrorist attacks by the so-called Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attack. This morning, there were two explosions at Brussels Airport and reports of shots being fired in what Belgian media said was a suicide attack. Thirteen people have died in this attack and a further 35 seriously injured. A second blast struck a metro station, close to European Union institutions, in the capital shortly afterwards. Belgian public broadcaster …

A new package of measures has been announced by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to address difficulties in the dairy and pigmeat sectors. This is good news for Clare farmers, according to Fine Gael TD Pat Breen. “These measures are very welcome for Irish dairy and pigmeat farmers. Particularly positive is the decision made by the EU Commission to allow advance payments of 70% under the direct payments scheme and 85% for rural development schemes before completion of controls. These advance payments are expected to be made to farmers in Clare by mid-October and should significantly ease cash flow, he said. Deputy Breen said this package from the EU Commission is the result of hard work at a European level by the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney and reflects the majority of the demands presented by the Minister to the Commission in a six point plan. “The increase of more than 100% in the rate of private storage aid for …

Primary schools  in Clare are being urged to sign up by next Friday for the Blue Star programme. Blue Star is an exciting education initiative for primary school students across Ireland. The programme aims to introduce pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community to the EU, what it means and how it works. It has already been rolled out successfully in over 200 schools since 2011, and the intention is to increase this over the coming three years. All schools are eligible no matter how big or how small. Joe Bishop of European Movement Ireland, who manages the programme said, “We want to encourage schools to sign up by next week’s deadline, so that we can start to send all the information out as soon as possible. We have lots of free resources, advice and support available, including a great curriculum guide developed by teachers themselves. “We’re delighted that previous participating schools have been so positive about the Blue Star Programme. …