John Bruton

John Bruton is a former Prime Minister of Ireland and a former President in office of the European Council. He currently serves as the EU Ambassador to Washington. Since taking up his position in Washington, DC, Bruton has met with the current President and former Presidents of the United States, and visited with governors, mayors, business leaders and students in over 20 US states to explain that the expanding European Union is good for the US economy and good for American jobs. In Washington, DC, Bruton has met some 200 Members of Congress to explain major EU developments and discuss the importance of the EU-US relationship in matters of trade, counterterrorism, public health, energy, the environment and the promotion of peace, democracy and human rights around the world.

Bruton was one of the experts invited by the Greek Presidency of the European Union in 2003 to prepare a paper for discussion by the Foreign Ministers of the European Union on how best to improve relations between the United States and the European Union. Before being appointed Ambassador to the United States, Bruton served as a leading member of the convention that resulted in the first-ever draft European Constitution, signed in Rome on October 29, 2004, but which failed to be ratified by France and the Netherlands. He was also a vice president of the European People’s Party from 1999 to 2005.

As Irish Prime Minister, he presided over the Irish Presidency of the European Union in 1996. At the Dublin Summit, he helped finalize the Growth and Stability Pact which governs the management of the single European Currency – the Euro.

He represented the European Union at Summit meetings with the President of the United States, Prime Minister of Canada, the Prime Minister of Japan, the Prime Minister of Korea, the Prime Minister of China, the Prime Minister of Israel and Chairman Arafat of the Palestinian Authority.

Bruton was elected Prime Minister of Ireland in December, 1994. His administration was a three party Coalition Government comprising Fine Gael, the Labour Party, and Democratic Left and he held that office until 1997. Bruton's politics as Prime Minister of Ireland were markedly different from most Irish leaders. Whereas most leaders had come from or identified with the independence movement Sinn Féin, Bruton identified more with the moderate Irish Parliamentary Party.

As Prime Minister, he was responsible for the introduction of the new Corporate Tax Policy which helped Ireland become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. He also was deeply involved in the Irish peace process. He helped develop the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) for public sector reform in Ireland.

Previously, Bruton was Minister for Finance. In this capacity, he was responsible for the reform of the tax collection system in Ireland, introducing “self-assessment” which has greatly improved tax compliance and reduced business costs.

Bruton has played a key role in the development of the Euro, and both Finance Minister and Prime Minister, in the extraordinary success of the Irish economy. He speaks with great authority on the economy and on future trends both in Europe and throughout the world. He was first elected to the Irish Parliament in 1969 at the age of twenty-two.