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Ireland’s fiscal position has severely degraded by the global financial crisis and the Government has been forced to introduce austerity measures not seen for a quarter of a century. Now, in advance of the European Council’s December summit, expectations are growing that the Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen will provide a clear roadmap for an Irish solution to the EU’s constitutional dilemma and enable the EU to resolve the impasse created by the Irish electorate’s rejection of the Treaty in June.

The author is Lecturer in European Politics and Society at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM).