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EU leaders in Brussels for summit on fiscal treaty

Enda Kenny joins his European counterparts today to discuss the new intergovernmental treaty and job creation in Europe.

AN TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny travels to Brussels today for an informal meeting of European leaders to discuss job creation and a new intergovernmental treaty.

The European Council is to finalise the wording of the proposed Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union later today.

The text will then have to be forwarded to the Attorney General, who will advise the Government on whether a referendum is required to adopt the treaty in Ireland.

Despite objections from Opposition parties, Kenny has previously said there is “nothing to fear and a great deal to gain” from new agreements with Europe.

Ireland needs to see this new treaty adopted and enforced. It is absolutely in the national interest to do so.”

Yesterday, Sinn Féin said it would consider a legal challenge if a referendum is not held on the matter after a weekend poll showed that 72 per cent of Irish people believe a vote is necessary.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio on Sunday, Transport Minister Leo Varadkar said he did not believe referendums are “very democratic”, adding that campaigns surrounding the vote are generally not about the issue in question.

Austerity to growth

The Government advised that Kenny will also discuss job creation at today’s meeting as EU leaders try to shift the focus away from austerity and onto economic growth.

There will be a particular focus on youth unemployment, the Single Market and small- and medium-sized enterprises, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said.

The European Stability Mechanism will also be signed off on if agreement can be reached over the total size of the fund.

More: Enda Kenny: New EU treaty is ‘absolutely in Ireland’s interest’>

Here’s what European leaders might be wearing at their ‘informal’ summit>

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7 Comments
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    Mute 1 Human Being
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    Jan 30th 2012, 8:38 AM

    “A treaty for jobs” wasn’t that the tagline for Lisbon 2. I think that treaty is enough to be going on with. Expecting country’s that have been ravaged by fraudulent operators and still have not got proper regulators to sign up to a new treaty is a bit of a fraud in itself.
    Current laws within Europe should be enough to stop speculation in sovereign country’s debt. This market should be exclusively for sovereign nations No private hedge funds allowed. Pushing poorer nations into a deal that does not punish the banks and other market influence speculators is unjust. The idea that a 0.1% tax is somehow going to stop the market madness is a tad unrealistic. The reason why the city of London doesn’t want this tax is because there is no regulation their in the first place. If one regulation comes in it might bring down the house of cards that is the city of London. If London doesn’t regulate neither will the IFSC. It’s good to have a unregulated market, at least they can make up the rules as they see fit. So instead of looking for a way to get tighter governance in Europe the EU should be looking at stronger regulators that can shut down banks and stop trading there bonds until they are investigated for fraudulent activity. If proven non fraudulent then they should be allowed to trade again.

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    Mute On the Dole
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    Jan 30th 2012, 10:08 AM

    Jobs heard that before !! that’s right Lisbon treaty …… Germany spending forty billion , United Kingdom spending close to that figure on infrastructure that’s job creation.

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    Mute Eileen Gabbett
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    Jan 30th 2012, 10:31 AM

    Just been listening to Veradkar on the Pat Kenny show
    doing a party political broadcast pro the treaty !!!!!!
    Is this man the only Minister in the country at the moment ?
    Where is every body else , or are they letting him dig his
    way out of a hole on his own..?

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    Mute Fiachra Maolmordha Ó Raghallaigh
    Favourite Fiachra Maolmordha Ó Raghallaigh
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    Jan 30th 2012, 9:37 AM

    Good to see unemployment on the agenda at last. It’s about three years too late…

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    Mute Ardo Ci
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    Jan 30th 2012, 8:54 AM

    Yeh! Right.

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    Mute Rory Mc Closkey
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    Jan 30th 2012, 9:45 PM

    Just love the way these incompetents across Europe are described as leaders. They couldn’t lead a queue. We are collectively heading for disaster with these fools in charge.

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    Mute Ronan Mc Namara
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    Jan 30th 2012, 9:55 AM

    Hate to sound flippant but unemployment has always been on the agenda and always will be…..just in the limelight more in the last few years, Taxation will not stimulate an economy, real sledge hammer stuff towards the IFSC.

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