Coveney says Irish people undervalue importance of EU

IRISH people have a tendency to undervalue the origins and importance of the European Union and instead focus on it simply as a source of money, Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney told a UCC Department of Government conference over the weekend.

Deputy Coveney said: “Stability, peace, a way of solving problems in the absence of conflict. That type of reason has never really been part of Ireland’s involvement in the European Union. We very much joined for economic reasons.”

Deputy Coveney said there was nothing wrong with such an approach but that the EU is about much more than grant aid.