EUROPEAN ROLE:ENDA KENNY steps forth on the European stage for the first time since his election victory when he meets tonight with German chancellor Angela Merkel and other centre-right leaders.
The taoiseach-in-waiting, who hopes to secure a lower interest rate in looming talks on the reform of the euro bailout fund, is also scheduled to meet European Council president Herman Van Rompuy and EU Commission chief José Manuel Barroso in Helsinki this evening.
While Mr Kenny campaigned in the election on a pledge to renegotiate Ireland’s EU-IMF bailout deal, the European authorities insist the incoming government must keep to the terms of the arrangement. Ireland’s euro zone partners have no appetite to revisit the pact, say diplomatic sources. The commission and other fiscally weak countries do favour lowering the interest rate, but Dr Merkel warned only two days ago that the European authorities cannot commit to such a manoeuvre.
Europe could not “artificially reduce interest rates,” she said. According to the chancellor, Ireland and Greece each “tapped an aid programme and agreed to conditions on what tasks they must fulfil”.
If Ireland now had a problem with interest rates, she said, “our job is to figure out what we can do, or whether we can do anything”.
As coalition talks continued yesterday between Fine Gael and Labour, it appeared unlikely that a deal would be done before Mr Kenny travels to Helsinki.
The meeting is being organised by Fine Gael’s umbrella group in Europe, the European People’s Party. “He can’t go into negotiations while he’s not in office,” said a source close to Mr Kenny.
“We’re obviously not pretending that’s not going to happen so he’ll be paving the way for conversations next week and the week after.” Mr Kenny expects to be elected taoiseach when the Dáil resumes next Wednesday.
Two days later he is due to attend an emergency EU summit on Libya in Brussels and a scheduled euro zone summit on the sovereign debt crisis.
With no sign that a deal will be reached at the euro zone leaders’ meeting, finance ministers will gather on Monday and Tuesday to continue the negotiation.
These meetings are likely to be the first attended by Mr Kenny’s finance minister.
Mr Kenny met Dr Merkel and Mr Barroso during the course of the election campaign.
He has frequently attended EPP meetings since becoming Fine Gael leader.
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and interim Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme are also expected in Helsinki.
