IRELAND
A country in Western Europe, occupying most of the island of Ireland. Area - 70.3 thousand km². Capital - Dublin (1.1 million), major cities:
Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford.
Administrative division - 26 counties. Population - 4 million (2004), mainly Irish.
Official languages - Irish and English. Religion: 92% of the population practices Catholicism, about 3% - Protestants. Currency - euro (since 1.1.2002) = 100 cents.
Has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on September 29, 1973).
National holiday - March 17 - St. Patrick's Day.
Ireland (Éire - in Irish) - a parliamentary republic. The constitution was adopted in 1937. The head of state is the president, elected by direct vote for a term of 7 years (since 1997 - M. McAleese, re-elected for a second term in 2004). The legislative body - the National Parliament, consisting of 2 chambers: the Senate (60 members) and the House of Representatives (Dáil) (166 members). The House of Representatives is elected by proportional representation for 5 years; the Senate is partially appointed by the Prime Minister, partially elected by universities and representatives of professions by proportional representation for 5 years. Since June 1997, a coalition government formed by the Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats has been in power. The Prime Minister is B. Ahern (FF).
Political parties: The Labour Party (LP) - founded in 1912; adheres to social-democratic principles, focuses on supporting industrial and agricultural workers, trade unions, and youth. Leader - P. Rabbitte. Fianna Fáil (FF - "Soldiers of Fortune") - founded in 1926, a party of industrial and financial circles, middle farming, and the intelligentsia. Leader - B. Ahern. The Progressive Democrats (PD) - formed in 1985 by a group of former Fianna Fáil members. Leader - M. Harney. Fine Gael (FG - "United Ireland") - established in 1933, relies on large and medium-sized business structures, prosperous farming. Leader - E. Kenny. Sinn Féin (SF - "We Ourselves") - a radical republican party, formed in 1905. Advocates for the creation of a united Ireland as a republic. Leader - J. Adams. Party representation in the House of Representatives (elections in June 2002): FF - 81, FG - 31, LP - 21, PD - 8, Sinn Féin - 5, Green Party - 6, independents - 14.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) - a trade union center uniting Catholic and Protestant workers in Ireland and Northern Ireland. ICTU includes 57 sectoral trade unions.
For 7 centuries, Ireland was a colony of Great Britain. In 1921, most of it (except for Northern Ireland - 6 counties of Ulster) achieved the status of a dominion of Great Britain. In 1949, Ireland was proclaimed a republic and left the Commonwealth.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable trend in the state's politics towards reaching an agreement with British ruling circles on the Northern Irish issue. On April 10, 1998, a multilateral Agreement on the Settlement in Northern Ireland was signed at Stormont Castle (in the suburbs of Belfast, Northern Ireland) - a package of documents providing for the establishment of legislative and executive bodies in Northern Ireland (Assembly, Executive Committee, etc.), as well as new structures for Anglo-Irish cooperation (North-South Ministerial Council, British-Irish Council, and British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference).
The parties agreed on the principle of the possibility of changing the current status of Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom and the future formation of a united Ireland, provided that this idea is supported by a majority of the Northern Irish population. The agreement was approved in referendums in Ireland and Northern Ireland in May 1998. New elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held in November 2003. Radical forces received the overwhelming majority of votes: the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, complicating the prospects for a peaceful settlement.
Ireland officially pursues a policy of non-participation in military alliances, advocates for the cessation of the arms race, non-proliferation of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction, and the unblocking of regional conflicts. Since 1958, Ireland has participated in Peacekeeping Operations (PKO), currently involved in 9 UN PKOs (500 military personnel). In 1999, the government made a decision to join NATO's Partnership for Peace, but the accession document has not been signed. It has observer status in the OSCE (since 1992).
Ireland is a member of the UN (since 1955), the Council of Europe (since 1949), the OECD (since 1960), the EU (since 1973), Euratom (since 1973), and the European Monetary System (since 1979). In the 1998 referendum, Ireland approved the Amsterdam Treaty on European political and monetary-economic union.
Ireland is an industrial-agricultural country. It has significant reserves of peat (about 8 million tons are extracted annually - one of the top places in the world), lead, zinc, copper, silver, natural gas, and small deposits of coal, iron ore, and pyrites. The economy consists of 2 sectors - a large foreign sector, mainly including advanced technological industries (electronics, engineering, chemical industry), and a national sector, covering traditional industries (food, forestry, light industry). The growth in industrial production in recent years has been achieved mainly due to the rapid increase in output from foreign companies.
The government pursues a policy of actively attracting foreign investments. While maintaining a priority position in this area for Great Britain (especially in banking), the positions of the USA, Germany, France, and Japan are strengthening. Of more than 1000 enterprises owned by foreign capital, 40% are from the USA, about 20% from Germany. About 50% of all employed in the manufacturing sector work in enterprises with foreign capital participation. They account for up to 70% of industrial exports.
The state of the economy is characterized by increasing GDP growth rates, a positive balance of trade, and a stable financial position of the country. As a result of strict austerity measures, primarily in government spending, it has been possible to achieve a reduction in inflation rates (2.2%, 2004). This has a favorable impact on addressing the unemployment problem (4.5% of the working-age population, June 2004).
GDP growth in 2004 - 5.3% (in 2003 - 3.7%), GNP growth in 2004 - 4.9% (in 2003 - 2.8%).
Through domestic resources, Ireland meets 40% of its electricity needs. The share of imported oil in the energy balance is decreasing, while the share of natural gas and coal is increasing. Large power plants operating on peat have been built (providing 12% of all electricity).
The main sector of agriculture is livestock (87% of gross agricultural production). About 70% of farms are small and medium-sized (up to 25 hectares). About 70% of agricultural land is used for pastures. Crop farming plays a minor role in the economy and does not fully meet the country's grain needs. Exports: computer equipment, live cattle, food, chemical industry products, etc.; about 20% of exports are agricultural products (about 70% of agricultural production is exported). Major trading partners - Great Britain (25% of exports and 35% of imports), Germany, and other EU countries. Income from tourism is also significant (2.2 billion euros).
The government pays great attention to the preservation and development of the Irish language. A well-established system of free (since 1996) higher and secondary education is in place. Universities are located in the cities of Dublin (Trinity and University College), Cork, Galway, and Limerick.
In Ireland, there are 4 morning, 2 evening, and 5 Sunday newspapers (all in English, with a total circulation of about 5 million copies weekly). Among the largest newspapers are "Irish Independent" (150 thousand), "Irish Times" (100 thousand), "Evening Herald" (95 thousand), and others. The state broadcasting service operates 3 television and 5 radio programs.