The results of the Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll published in today's editions confirms how the people of this State continue, for the most part, to view the European Union in very positive terms and as a force for good across a wide range of policy matters. Identical surveys were also conducted by other polling organisations in 10 other EU states. In most categories, Irish respondents are significantly more enthusiastic about the European project - even if the knowledge of some of the key players is patchy. Some 41 per cent were aware that Jacques Santer is the commission president and a third that the farm commissioner is Franz Fischler, but only 7 per cent could identify Wim Duisenberg as the president of the European Central Bank. The MRBI poll indicates a healthy level of confidence among Irish people in the ability of the European Commission and the European Parliament to improve our daily lives. Some 56 per cent of respondents expressed general satisfaction with the development of the EU at this time, the highest such level among the 11 states polled.
There also appears to be a strong measure of confidence and remarkably little apprehension about the advent of the single currency. Over 52 per cent of respondents in the Republic said they were very satisfied or quite satisfied with the replacement of the pound by the euro. By contrast, there is a strong level of scepticism in Germany and in Britain. Perhaps we should not be unduly surprised by this general level of contentment with the EU in the Republic. For a generation and more, the EU has acted as an engine for economic and, indeed, social progress in this State. The tangible benefits of EU membership are clear in every city and town, every farmland and workplace in this State. In truth, it has been a period of all gain and little pain in terms of our EU membership. It may be, however, that the results of this poll will come to mark the high watermark of our relationship with the EU. Ireland is now poised to enter a more challenging period with Brussels; indeed, the current disputes about farm supports and regionalisation, which have seen various sectoral interests express discontent with Brussels, are merely straws in the wind. There are other challenges ahead. The fall-off in structural funding and the continued decline in farm support will weaken sentiment towards the EU and, perhaps, change the nature of our relationship with Brussels. Ireland may also come under increasing pressure to adopt a more pro-active role in European security.
Public support for the EU will also be tested if the birth of the euro and/or the policies of the ECB are seen to trigger any reversal in our economic fortunes. But all of these challenges are in the future. For now, we are content in our role as the happy Europeans. The question is whether this support will endure when our commitment to the EU objectives of mutual support and solidarity is more fully tested.