The most senior Irish official in the EU has said it is most unlikely there will be a flood of immigration to this country should EU enlargement proceed.
Addressing a breakfast this morning hosted by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, David O'Sullivan, who is secretary general of the EU Commission, said he abhorred the racist undertones which sometimes accompanied discussion of immigration. However, he acknowledged that that there could be legitimate concerns about a country's ability to absorb sudden influxes.
The reality was, he said, that both current research and the experience of previous enlargements suggested a sudden flood of immigrants would be most unlikely.
Mr O'Sullivan also maintained ratification of the Nice Treaty was necessary for enlargement. He argued that undoing Nice would mean going back to square one, not just on the technical aspects of enlargement, but also on the political agreements that surrounded the process.
