The President of the European Commission says he wants the issues of Irish legacy debt dealt with before we takeover the Presidency of the EU on January 1st.
Jose-Manuel Barosso has met with the Taoiseach in Brussels today.
Enda Kenny is pressing the case for the deal agreed at a leaders’ summit last June to be implemented fully.
Commission President Barosso says he understands that real sacrifices are being made.
He has also paid tribute to Ireland and the government for reducing our budget deficit.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and other members of the government are in Brussels today for meetings with the European Commission led by President Barroso.
It is the first major engagement by the government in the run-up to the EU 2013 Presidency.
The discussions will cover the issues that are likely to feature prominently on the EU agenda during the Irish presidency, among them banking union, the EU’s budget for 2014-2020, the development of the Single Market, trade relations, the Digital Agenda, and reform of the Common Agricultural and Common Fisheries Policies.
Mr. Barroso says delivering on the June deal is a matter of “credibility”.
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