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Ireland gets ‘screwed’ as EU influence ebbs (www.politico.eu)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Irish officials say they are in despair about their country’s fading influence over European Union economic policy, complaining Dublin performed poorly in the race for the best jobs in the European Commission’s new five-year term.

Five Irish officials told POLITICO that Ireland will be starting on the back foot after leaving it too late to negotiate getting their people into top positions at the new Commission, which began on Dec. 1. The government was distracted by political battles at home and had a strategy of trying to stay above the EU political fray, they said — an approach that cost it a louder voice.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In fairness Ireland is a small country in a big organisation. Influence is going to ebb and flow, but they're always competing with the big countries interests - France and Germany in particular.

Ireland is the 19th largest country out of 27 with 1.2% of the population.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain account for 57% of the population. They're always going to have an out sized influence even on the commission where each country gets a seat.

The news story is hyperbole. The game in Europe is unchanged and sometimes Ireland will get the roles it wants and sometimes it won't. The commission is just one part of a complex political machine.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

Thank you for putting it into perspective.