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EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT José Manuel Barroso told an audience gathered at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) this evening that they were part of a “privileged generation”, despite the ongoing European debt crisis.
Speaking at a lecture organised by The Hist at TCD, Barroso said young people were part of a privileged generation: “You might think that is a strange thing to say,” he said,”You’re thinking ‘we have no jobs’ and that you might have to emigrate – but all of Europe is yours.”
He then encouraged students to “take part in the debate about the EU”.
Youth unemployment
Addressing the problem of youth unemployment in the European Union, Barroso said that it should be at the forefront of policy-makers minds – saying that the European Commission had fought long and hard for a youth employment programme and an Erasmus programme to help the EU grow. However, he noted that tackling the crisis “goes beyond programmes” and that the EU was working to extend trade with more countries, extend initiatives, and invest more in research.
Barroso also defended spending in EU institutions, saying that the cost of administration was small and represented ”value for money”. The amount of the total EU budget allocated to administration totals 6 per cent, he said, deeming it a “reasonable price” in exchange for competent people working on complex issues. “We have some of the best paid lawyers in the world, but we need that,” he said.
Barroso said the Union needed the European Court of Justice because, without it, “if a country [was] in crisis they would just help themselves”.
UK vote
The European Commission President also said he was “confident” that the United Kingdom would vote in favour of staying in the EU when British citizens went to the polls on the issue. Expressing his respect for the right of British citizens to have their say on the matter, Barroso said: “They can decide what they want themselves, no-one is here in the EU because they’re forced – they applied to join”.
“I expect Britain will remain in UK and I say that confidently,” he told the audience. “The debate will influence the rest of us in the EU… but I hope that debate is on facts and not myths.”
Additional reporting by Amy Coffrey
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It’s no wonder they are able to open new branches as they have front of bank staff down to 2 at a time if your lucky
Rural Ireland feels no benefit once again. Social isolation is agenda at this stage
Look if people decide to live in isolated rural communities with tiny populations then they will have live with the fact that they are never going to have the services that are provided in large urban centres.
One off houses are an abomination.
The people that put bread and meat on your table would like to have neighbours too.
Then go live in a village!
It is not sustainable to have houses dotted all over the countryside.
The only house that should be built on a family farm is for the person (family) working that farm!
You should not be permitted to build on the farm just because you are the child of a farmer unless you are actively working on the farm and will inherit it in the future. The farm should also be viable there probably should be some size restriction to build on the farm. It’s unlikely that a 1 hectare farm would be viable but there maybe some crops or produce that would make a farm of that size profitable. Each case should be examined on its merits.
News just in, all people outside of Dublin are not farmers
Prionsaois take a chill pill. That’s a different argument!
The banks should be open from 9 to 6 and on Saturdays like any other normal business.
They don’t need new branches just longer opening hours
I didn’t start it and I agree probably Sunday opening as well.
Yeah he didn’t start it…na na na. *stick tongue out*
excellent. …more branches where “computer says no” to ordinary people
Dublin for Sam ,Mayo for Salad
more ATMs with lodging facilities please
They should bring in a new rule that if you’re doing multiple transactions you have to goto a teller.. Nothing bloody worse then been stuck behind somebody lodging five or six cheques into a lodgement machine..
Dublin and Cork.What a surprise.Can’t think outside the box
have your say