Ireland is a member of numerous international organizations, including the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the European Union. Ireland held the rotating EU Presidency in the first half of 2004.

U.S.-IRISH RELATIONS
U.S. relations with Ireland have long been based on common ancestral ties and on similar values and political views. These relations, however, have now broadened and matured, given the substantial U.S. corporate involvement in the Irish economy. The United States seeks to maintain and strengthen the traditionally cordial relations between the people of the United States and Ireland.

Economic and trade relations are an important element of the bilateral relationship. U.S. investment has been a major factor in the growth of the Irish economy, and Irish membership in the European Union means that discussion of EU trade and economic policies, as well as other aspects of EU policy, are a key element in exchanges between the two countries.

Emigration, long a vital element in the U.S.-Irish relationship, declined significantly with Ireland’s economic boom in the 1990s. For the first time in its modern history, immigration to Ireland, especially of non-Europeans, is a growing phenomenon with political, economic, and social consequences. However, Irish citizens do continue the common practice of taking temporary residence overseas for work or study, mainly in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere in Europe, before returning to establish careers in Ireland.