Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has asked diplomats from the 27 EU states to communicate to their governments the need to support Irish efforts to reduce the interest rate being paid on the €85 billion rescue package.
Mr Gilmore met the Irish-based ambassadors and heads of mission of all EU countries in at the Department of Foreign Affairs headquarters at Iveagh House this morning. The representatives of the European Commission in Ireland and the European Parliament in Ireland also attended.
The purpose of the meeting was for the Tánaiste, who is also Minster for Foreign Affairs, to convey the approach and efforts that are being made by the new Government toward economic recovery. He also defended Ireland’s rate of corporation tax and said it was not negotiable nor could be traded off in exchange for a lower interest rate on the multi-billion euro loans from the two European funds.
In the 45-minute exchange, Mr Gilmore gave a detailed account of Ireland’s approach and its priorities to the crisis and wider engagement to Europe. In the question-and-answer session that followed, several heads of mission pointed to negative coverage of EU institutions in Ireland and the lack of commentary pointing to the positive contribution made by the EU during the course of the crisis.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mr Gilmore said the it had been a satisfactory meeting.
“I made it clear that government is very determined to deal with the economic difficulties. In doing so, we need support and assistance. I asked the [heads of mission] to communicate to their governments that there would be support for the Minister for Finance who is seeking reductions in interest rates for money coming through the European funds,” he said.
He also said he made clear the Government’s position on corporation tax and its resistance to tie the matter to the issue of interest rates.
Another theme followed by Mr Gilmore was Ireland’s loss of reputation in Europe. He quoted the top civil servant in the EU Commission, Catherine Day, who said Ireland’s standing had “the shine taken off it”.
“We mean to reengage with the agenda and seek to make the sort of constructive inputs to debate and policy making that have been part of the Irish contribution in the past,” Mr Gilmore told the heads of mission.
Afterwards, he said there had been criticism made at the meeting of some newspaper articles last weekend that laid the blame for the crisis at the door of European institutions and the ECB.
“I made it clear that in the general election the Irish people were in no doubt at all about where blame was to be laid," the Minister said. “I made it very clear that it was our objective to work with European institutions and work with other European states to get us out of this mess."
