Annual State of the Union Address by Minister Micheál Martin

Speaking at the annual State of the Union address to the Institute of International and European Affairs, Minister Micheál Martin said:

"I would like to thank the Institute of International and European Affairs for their invitation to deliver this State of the Union address today.

Every year it has become the practice for the holder of this office to address you on the State of the Union. I hope you will forgive me if this year I speak more about Ireland’s relationship with the Union, than the state of the EU as a whole.

This time last year, Dermot Ahern made a passionate argument in favour of the Lisbon Treaty. A treaty we believed, and continue to believe, represents a good deal for Ireland and for Europe as a whole.

In June last year, of course, the people voted against the Treaty by a margin of 53.4% to 46.6%.

I will not be speaking today about the seven stages of grief. The months since June have not been about denial or depression. From the beginning, our position was one of full acceptance of the decision of the people. We set about understanding the concerns people had.

You can read the full text of the speech here.

This address was the annual State of the Union address which the Institute hosts every year.