40th Anniversary: The Paris Summit, October 1972: Prelude to the First Enlargement of the European Community and to European Social Policy

This working paper by Tony Brown marks the fortieth anniversary of a major summit in Paris in October 1972, an event of historic importance in the evolution of Ireland’s engagement with the European Union.

In the paper, Tony Brown examines the summit in great depth, presenting a wide range of primary sources including the speeches delivered by the leaders at the summit, the Summit Communiqué and subsequent statements by the Government and Opposition during a debate in Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives of Ireland).