Ireland’s reputation as Europe’s star pupil is not just confined to its adherence to the tough fiscal medicine prescribed by the troika.

A new report published yesterday shows that Ireland is top of the class when it comes to implementing the EU’s internal market directives. The European Commission’s Internal Market Scoreboard shows that Ireland ranks number one in implementing EU directives on to the national statute book.

Ireland achieved a score of 0.0 per cent, indicating that it has transposed all internal market directives on time. Belgium, despite its location at the heart of the European Union, came bottom of the list. –