TALK about a second programme or bailout for Ireland is not helpful, the European Commission has said following media speculation about the issue.

MEMBERS of theEuropean Parliament are pushing for a commitment to create eurobonds, joint debt issuance and a financial transaction tax, as part of the price for the proposed EU treaty enforcing strict government budgets.

ONE-IN-FIVE young Irish people aged 15 to 25 years are not in work, education or training, the third highest proportion in the EU.

IRELAND had the third highest trade surplus in the EU for the first nine months of the year at €32.4 billion — worth a third of the value of the Germany surplus.

TAXPAYERS and shareholders lost more than €127 billion in Irish banks in little more than two years and, at best, the state can hope to get back €30bn.

IRISH consumers are still paying a fifth more than their average EU counterpart for goods and services despite the country’s GDP having fallen by more than 13% in the past three years.

THE secretary general of the Department of Finance, Kevin Cardiff was cleared to become a member of the EU Court of Auditors by the European Parliament amid claims of political abuse and intimidation by some MEPs.

THE cost of Ireland’s borrowing could shoot up early next year as the credit rating of the eurozone countries as a whole and the bailout fund we are reliant on are threatened with credit downgrades.

A RECESSION is now very likely in the EU next year, and the outcome of last week’s summit is unlikely to change this, according to Laszlo Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

STRINGENT and comprehensive new budget rules for EU governments backed up with tough penalties come into force today and are similar to what the new inter-governmental fiscal compact aims to reinforce.