EU budget deal 'in everyone's interest' - Kenny

EU budget deal ‘in everyone’s interest’ – Kenny

Enda Kenny a breakthrough on the EU budget was important for the Irish EU presidency

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said it is in everyone’s interest that the next EU leaders’ summit reaches agreement on the seven-year budget.

Mr Kenny said he was hopeful that a deal could be struck, possibly next month, even though November’s summit ended without securing agreement.

He said a breakthrough was important for the Irish EU presidency, as it would allow ministers to negotiate with the European Parliament, which must give its support to any budget plan.

Mr Kenny said Ireland could also move forward on legislative proposals, such as the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, which he described as very necessary.

He made the comments in Limassol in Cyprus, where European centre right political leaders are meeting today.

On the delay on agreeing a bailout for Cyprus, Mr Kenny said an assessment of the scale of the problem was ongoing by the ECB-EU-IMF troika and independent experts.

He said Ireland’s experience was that problems should not be allowed to fester and the Cypriot people needed to know what the situation was and the plan to sort it out.

German opposition politicians have been threatening to vote against the Cypriot deal due to concerns over money laundering.

On the Government’s campaign for debt relief, the Taoiseach said he would be updating leaders at today’s talks.

He added that his meeting with members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s sister party in Bavaria this week, the CSU, had been a very good political dialogue where they able to better understand the problems that had been overcome and the challenges which remained.

Others attending include Ms Merkel and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.

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