Ireland in European political cooperation: The victory of substance over form

Abstract

For over 20 years Ireland has been participating in a process of foreign policy cooperation whose scope and depth has been unique. In return for limited constraints, political cooperation has provided unique benefits to the Irish foreign policy process and has made more effective the output of that policy. The evolution of Irish foreign policy over this period suggests that a common European foreign and security policy may soon become one of Ireland's central foreign policy objectives.