Irish membership still compelling

Ireland is proud of what we have achieved in the EU and of what we have contributed to shaping the union in which we live today, says Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says this year also marks the 30th anniversary of the single market which has been central to Ireland’s economic success. Photograph: Jean-Francois Badias/AP

As we mark 50 years of membership of what is now the European Union, it is right to reflect on how EU membership has shaped our country’s development over five decades.

It is the story of an extraordinary transformation, as contributions to this special supplement recall. I hope it will offer inspiration to those countries now looking to join the EU — from Ukraine to the western Balkans.