Ireland's recent record of fiscal discipline should ensure it qualifies to be among the first group of EU member-states to participate in the single European currency, according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The single currency will come into being in just 16 months and the Government was determined that Ireland would qualify, said Mr Burke. It would be "good for Irish business and for Irish jobs. It will reduce interest rates, it will reduce exchange rate risks and it will save transaction costs.
"Ireland is one of the few member-states which are unambiguously ready for the single currency. We have got inflation well under control; our current public deficit is comfortably within the permitted range; our total public debt is diminishing satisfactorily; the Irish pound is strong and our interest rates are stable."
Speaking at an event marking European Awareness Week organised by the Irish Countrywomen's Association, Mr Burke said the EU was now facing major decisions about its future. The imminent negotiations on the further enlargement of the EU would force the Union to examine its existing spending programmes.
This in turn would have a significant impact on Ireland. "On the agricultural front, the forthcoming negotiations will focus on a significant reform of the Common Agricultural Policy," he said.
"The reform must be carried out in a manner which preserves the essential principles of the Common Agricultural Policy and in a manner which ensures that the interests of farmers and rural communities are fully protected."
The Government would also work to maximise Ireland's receipts from Structural and Cohesion Funds in the next round of spending. Despite the major growth in Irish GDP, the State still had considerable development needs, he said.