The solidarity put in place within the EU is currently being exposed to a series of intense tensions and discussions particularly interesting to be dealt with in an Irish context. During the last two decades, Ireland was indeed the “success story” so often told when mentioning the fertile combination of the European single market and the EU structural funds. In the context of the on-going economic crisis, Ireland is one of the countries implementing very harsh structural reforms after having received financial assistance from the EU. And on the 31st of May, the Irish people are invited to ratify both the so called “fiscal compact” and the “European stability mechanism”, which symbolize formally the link between the constraints linked to the Eurozone membership and the possibility to benefit from the EU solidarity put in place to help its struggling countries.

It is enlightening to try and see in which conditions a second “Irish success story” could be written, given the impressive results achieved by the reforms undertaken in this country during the last 4 years. It was the purpose of the key note speech delivered by Yves Bertoncini at the Institute for International and European Affairs in Dublin on the 15th of May, and whose main elements are mentioned in the present Tribune.