Ireland's Covid struggles has put new focus on our place within EU

The idea that we would follow Australia and New Zealand and shut the ports of entry 'was never a runner', in part due to EU freedom of movement rules.

An Aer Lingus airbus A320 on the tarmac prior to departure to London Heathrow, at Cork Airport terminal building. Picture: Larry Cummins

When the European Council met this week in Brussels, it took time to look at the "lessons learned" from the Covid crisis thus far.

In Ireland, when the time comes to look at how we have handled the last 16 months, much of the focus will be on how Ireland's place in Europe shaped how we could and could not react. 

The country's place in the EU has allowed us access to expertise and data, but there has been criticism at how the monolithic bloc has moved to deal with the pandemic.  

Inside Government, frustrations have focused on a number of areas, with travel, vaccines, and Ireland's allocation of EU relief funding all mentioned. 

However, there is also an appreciation that being in the EU has allowed Ireland access to much-needed PPE and equipment, as well as guidance from experts at a European level.  

The world’s largest aircraft, the Antonov AN-225 touches down at Shannon Airport from China on June 10, 2020, carrying the single largest consignment of PPE to be flown into Ireland on a single flight. Picture: Arthur Ellis.

And, while some have criticised Ireland's reluctance to pursue outside purchases of vaccines, Government sources say that without the EU purchase scheme, Ireland would likely be "way behind" where we are currently.  

The idea that the EU was ever going to be some kind of white knight is a bit misguided," says one source.

"All of the member states were dealing with this once-in-a-century pandemic, so the fact that there's as much alignment as there is now is impressive."

TRAVEL 

Last February, as the world realised that the virus which had spread around the Wuhan region of China would not be contained, the focus shifted to Northern Italy. Images of overcrowded hospitals, overworked staff, and desperate death tolls were headline news here in Ireland as the importance of washing our hands was hammered home.

But among the public, more action was being demanded and, as an island nation, chief among them was to shut the ports of entry. 

New Zealand and Australia had implemented stringent travel requirements and looked set to ward off the worst effects of the virus. But in the Irish government — which was still in caretaker mode, the plan was never truly countenanced.

"Of course we looked at what New Zealand and Australia had done," says a minister in that government. 

But it was never a runner. We simply couldn't shut our airports and ports. It would have stranded thousands of Irish people and, we believed, breached EU freedom of movement rules."

While some called for the closure of airports to flights from Northern Italy, ministers were forced to point out that school trips were still in the region. There was also the question of how other EU states would react if Ireland unilaterally suspended free movement.

The European Commission sees free movement as the bedrock of the EU, and just last month asked Ireland to end its mandatory hotel quarantine system.

MONEY 

In the early days of the pandemic, there was a creeping belief that as countries loaded up on debt to cover the cost of shutting down whole economies, the money printers would fire up and the EU would begin to dole out the billions to plug the holes created in budgets across the continent. 

But as Ireland rolled out the largest budget in the history of the State, there was some disappointment with Ireland's allocation. The headline figure was startling — €750bn would be disbursed across the continent in the coming years. But while Poland submitted a plan which will see it receive €58bn in loans and grants, Ireland is set to receive a relatively modest €915m grant across 2021 and 2022, with further grants to come in 2023.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin speaking to media at Dublin Castle. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that this figure's key measurement was "Ireland's strong economic performance relative to other countries, plus our population" — but for all the brave faces, there was some disappointment from Government TDs about the figure. 

One said that while there was no expectation of "billions and billions", the final figure barely covers the cost of PPE.  

Government sources say that the EU talks to establish the fund were fractious and contentious, and this meant any notion of transformative amounts of "free money" were never going to happen.  They point out that the criteria used to decide how much member states will receive from the fund are complex and include assessments of per capita income levels in 2019 relative to the EU average, with poorer states receiving more.  

While some in Ireland saw the potential of the fund as a chance to make big investments, the EU sees it more as a chance to balance the continent and buttress weaker economies.

It is this fundamental difference of viewpoint which left some in Government and Opposition disappointed, but public expenditure minister Michael McGrath said that the figure was "a milestone" and allowed the Government to announce its own €3.6bn recovery scheme.

"In a year that has seen us take on the twin challenges of Covid and Brexit, support from Europe is evidence of the solidarity that has been the hallmark of our EU membership over the last five decades," he said.