Gilmore tells EU to focus on growth, not EC chief

The EU should stop obsessing about who becomes head of the European Commission and focus more on promoting growth and engaging with the electorate, according to Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore.

Speaking at an Ireland- France Chamber of Commerce event, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said the recent European Parliament elections showed that Europe was seen as “part of the problem rather than part of the solution”.

“For that reason, frankly there is perhaps a little too much obsession with the current top jobs issue in the union. Its future leadership is important, of course, but it is one step of many,” said Mr Gilmore.

EU leaders meet in Brussels this week to decide on the presidency of the Commission.

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, is opposing the candidacy of Jean-Claude Juncker on the basis that he is a Euro- federalist. However, Mr Juncker has the support of most other EU leaders.

The Tánaiste said important lessons could be drawn from the recent elections, such the growing disenchantment of vast swathes of EU citizens with Brussels. The Commission should spend large chunks of the next five years on the road visiting member states and national parliaments in an effort to better communicate what the EU does, he added. Responding to a question about comments made by other EU foreign ministers that he would be a good commissioner, Mr Gilmore joked: “I think they’re right.”

One of the biggest challenges facing the Coalition Government following the 2011 general election — apart from repairing the economy — was restoring Ireland’s international reputation, he said.

One of the early sticking points was this country’s 12.5% corporate tax rate. He recalled a meeting with French foreign minister, Alain Juppé, in July 2011.

“As well as discussing foreign policy issues, we worked together to defuse a rare and regrettable bilateral dispute over that ill-judged and over-simplistic attempt by Mr Sarkozy to link corporation tax with a wholly-justified cut to our EU-IMF programme interest rate. Michael Noonan visited at the same time and we co-ordinated our approaches.

“This was an early example of the kind of considered, planned, joined-up and constructive engagement this Government engages in.

“Mr Sarkozy, with the benefit of more information and a sense of the bigger picture, soon gave up on that particular plan of his.”