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Ireland capital is Dublin, its area measures 70,282 square km, its population is made up of 3,963,000 inhabitants and the gross domestic product is 133.37 billion Euros. The inflation is equivalent to the 2.4%, the unemployment rate is 4.4%, the deficit is –0.1% and the national debt is the 30.7%. Ireland is a Republic, its constitution came into force in 1937, after being passed by a referendum on the 1st July of the same year. On that occasion the Indipendence of Ireland was proclaimed and EIRE formally succeeded the “Free State of Ireland”. Just with a law in 1949 the relationship with the British Commonwealth was totally broken. The kind of government is a parliamentary one. The National Parliament has a bicameral structure and it is made up of a Low Chamber, the Dàil Èirerann, including 166 members, directly elected by the electoral body, and a High Chamber, the Seanad Èireann, with a social-professional representance. The general elections take place every 5 years with a proportional election system. The government consists of the Prime Minister, appointed by the President of Republic, on a proposal of the Low Chamber, and by the Ministers, appointed by the Head of the State too, on a proposal of the Prime Minister. The Government, as in all the forms of parliamentary government, is responsible in towards the Chamber of the representatives, the Low Chamber. The present Prime Minister is Bertie Ahern, confirmed due to the election in May 2002. The President of Republic, who exert the powers of Head of the State, can be elected in two different ways. If there is only one candidate, carrying out the polls is not necessary; while, if the candidates are two or more, a direct popular election is carried out. The present Head of the State is Mary Mc Aleese, in office since November ’97. The Irish political composition has always been characterized by the opposition between two parties, the Fianna Fàil, centre-rightist, and the Fine Gael, centre-leftist. Confirming the results of the ’97 general elections, in the elections of May 2002, the Fianna Fàil get 76 seats, starting a coalition Government together with the progressive-democratics. The main opposition party, the Fine Gael, lose votes compared to the last election, getting just 31 seats, 23 less than they used to own during the last period of office of legislature. Ireland formally joined the European Economic Community in January 1973, thogehte with Denmark and U.K., due to a popular referendum carried out on the 8th June 1972 which provided for a revision of the constituion in order to allow Irelang joining the Community. After the enlargement of the Union, the number of Irish representatives within the European parliament decreased from 15 to 13. The last European elecions took place on the 11th June 2004 and the premier’s party, the Fianna Fàil, get just 4 seats, 2 less than the previous elections; its deputies joined the group “Union for Europe of Nations”. The Sinn Fèin Party, indipendentist republican party leaded by Gerry Adams, almost doubled its votes and for the first time it is present within Strasbourg Parliament with a representative. The main opposition party, the Fine Gael, get 5 deputies, who joined the popular parliamentar group. The Labour Party get 1 seat and the deputy joined the Socialist group. The affluence to the polls recorded, one more time, a positive trend, as the percentage touched in 1999 (50%) passed to 60% in the last elections. Within the European Commission, leaded by the Portuguese Barroso, the Irish commissary Charlie McCreevy is the commissary for the domestic market and the services.
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