Irish Leader Bertie Ahern Praises European Union in Kennedy School Forum Address

May 2, 2008
by Sarah Abrams

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who steps down next week after 11 years in office, told an audience at Harvard Kennedy School last night (May 1) that Ireland’s participation in the European Union (EU) has been critical to its remarkable advances over the last several years.

For centuries one of western Europe’s poorest countries, Ireland today is the second richest country in the 27-member community.

Over the past two decades, the EU has provided strong financial and moral support to Northern Ireland and the border counties, according to Ahern, who helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement ten years ago. The agreement has brought political stability to Northern Ireland’s divided society.

“The European Union has provided a new context for the historic development in Northern Ireland,” he said. “Thirty-five years of European involvement has been a powerful force in causing Ireland’s hour to come in a manner that could scarcely have been imagined by past generations.”

But Ireland’s participation in the EU is more than economic, said Ahern. Ireland’s proud tradition of active engagement in international affairs and, based on its own history, its sensitivity to the challenges of developing countries, make it an important EU member.

“I am now more convinced than ever before that Ireland can achieve far more in partnership with our neighbors than we could ever do on our own,” he said.

Ahern delivered the Samuel and Elizabeth Jodidi Lecture Thursday night in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. The event was sponsored by the Institute of Politics, Harvard's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and Harvard's International Relations Council.

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Photograph of Irish President Bertie Ahern at Harvard Kennedy School Forum

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern addresses questions from Forum audience

“I am now more convinced than ever before that Ireland can achieve far more in partnership with our neighbors than we could ever do on our own,” Ahern told the Forum audience.

Photo of Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern at Harvard Kennedy School Forum

Ahern speaking Thursday night at the Forum