Dublin was a fitting location for the EU officially to welcome the 10 accession states last month – not just because the Irish currently hold the EU presidency, but also because Ireland is a shining example to the new members of how a small country on the fringes of Europe can benefit from membership.
Ireland’s economy has grown faster than any other in the EU in the past decade, and banks have ridden high on this wave of prosperity. It is only 70,000sqkm in size with a population of four million, but it has more than 4000 financial institutions, 80 of which are banks and a large proportion are these foreign banks providing services to non-resident companies and institutions.
