ABSTRACT
This chapter assumes that 'European Economic Policy' comprises an amalgam of economy-related financial and institutional policies applied by the European Community (EC) to Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark since their acceptance for membership in 1973. The various EC environmental initiatives which have been implemented have had relatively little economic impact in Ireland, North and South. Membership of the European Community has affected the economic life of Ireland mainly through the workings of the Common Agricultural Policy. Membership has obviously made Ireland attractive as a location for some industry needing access to the Community, but has apparently been of little benefit to most indigenous industries. In Ireland itself, the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland and the budget deficit of the government in the Republic of Ireland created 'local' difficulties unrelated to European policy. In both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, forestry has been predominantly a State activity for most of this century.
