Passenger-car sales recorded buoyant double-digit growth year to year for six consecutive months from October 1996 to March 1997, but marked double-digit declines year to year in April and May. Sales of electrical appliances, as well as sales at department stores and supermarkets, fell significantly below the previous year’s level in April.
Convincing the people of Europe that all European citizens will be better off thanks to these reforms is absolutely key. The success of Ireland was largely due to the fact that the Irish citizens were rightly convinced that this road map would improve their own situation. Moving to the second topic of my speech, i.e.