WORKING parents are paying up to €10,000 a year per child in crèche fees and have been totally ignored in the Budget, unions and opposition parties claimed last night.

A scathing attack on economic growth in the European Union has been welcomed by the FSB as a shot in the arm for the flagging Lisbon Agenda.

WORKERS and employers’ groups are set for a fight to protect their interests in the wake of the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, designed to make Europe the world’s most dynamic and knowledge-led economy.

The Taoiseach met this morning with Chairman of the European Employment Taskforce, and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Wim Kok.

A European Union conference on the changing roles in the workplace will be held in Dublin Castle tomorrow.

THE Dutch government collapsed last night throwing the timetable for EU enlargement into doubt. If the Nice Treaty is passed in Ireland this weekend the final hurdle for the 10 candidate countries will be the summit meeting of EU leaders in Copenhagen in December.

Exit polls in the Dutch election say the opposition Christian Democrats have won by a wide margin winning 41 of the 150 seats in parliament.

Dutch opposition parties were the big winners in today’s elections, exit polls showed, including Christian Democrats and the movement of a murdered populist candidate.

Dutch voters appeared likely to upset their country’s well-oiled political order today with an election that could put an untested party without a leader into the ruling coalition.

Thousands of mourners filed past the open casket of assassinated Pim Fortuyn today in a solemn, often tearful tribute to the gay politician whose brash taboo-breaking policies and violent death ensured him a place in Dutch history.

The Dutch elections will go ahead on May 15 as scheduled, despite the assassination of right-wing leader Pim Fortuyn, the government announced today.

Dutch political leaders were today considering delaying the May 15 general elections following the assassination of far-right political leader Pim Fortuyn, whose party was set to win up to 28 of the 150 parliamentary seats.

Right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn, who led his anti-immigration party to prominence in Dutch politics, was shot six times and killed today as he left a radio interview.

The Dutch government resigned today, less than a week after a report on the 1995 fall of Srebrenica held political leaders and army officers partly responsible for failing to protect Muslims in the UN declared safe zone in Bosnia.

The Dutch cabinet today met for crisis talks to discuss the damaging Srebrenica report which has prompted two ministers to consider resigning.

The Dutch government will contribute 1,200 to 1,400 troops to the anti-terrorism campaign.

Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen today deplored the exclusion of smaller EU nations from a summit called by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and said they will protest at such separate meetings.

Tony Blair was gearing up today for another week of hectic diplomacy in an efforts to maintain the international consensus for the military action against Afghanistan.

Facing another day of protests that have marred their summit with violence, European Union leaders met today with their opposite numbers from a dozen neighbouring nations to assess when they can join the bloc - without committing themselves to an entry date.