TÁNAISTE EAMON GILMORE hailed the election of François Hollande as a “very significant event for Europe” and said it would give welcome new impetus to the growth agenda.
In Paris yesterday to congratulate Mr Hollande, whose Socialist Party belongs to the same European political group as the Labour Party, Mr Gilmore met party officials and attended celebrations at its headquarters on rue de Solférino.
“This is a very significant political event for France but also for Europe,” he said. “It is also significant in moving the European agenda on . . . We have been saying that stability and growth go together, you can’t have one without the other, and I think that the election of Hollande will significantly accelerate that agenda.”
Mr Hollande promised during his campaign to renegotiate the fiscal treaty, which sets tight limits on budget deficits and public debt and is due to be put to referendum in Ireland on May 31st.
Although he agrees with the budgetary discipline measures, he has outlined four proposals to boost growth, and his aides recently indicated this could be done outside the treaty itself.
The Government believes a new deal on growth should not disrupt the referendum because it would not have “constitutional consequences” for Ireland. “We don’t have to change our Constitution to take economic measures to promote growth,” said Mr Gilmore.
On the bilateral Franco-Irish relationship, Mr Gilmore, who was in Paris in his capacity as Labour Party leader, said the close ties between the two countries made good relations vital.
He acknowledged that there could be differences on specific issues, such as corporate and financial transaction taxes, but said he hoped to work closely with the French on areas of common interest during Ireland’s presidency of the EU next year.
“There is not going to be agreement on every single issue that will come up for discussion at European level, but there are issues where we will be able to work together,” he said.
Mr Gilmore is planning a working visit to Paris, in his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs, early in the life of the new administration.
