Accent on clarity as McCreevy faces EU reprimand

THE German leader of the Socialist MEPs has urged Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso to reprimand Charlie McCreevy, but said Ireland’s commissioner was impressive — when he could understand his accent.

Mr McCreevy triggered widespread criticism last week by publicly commenting on a Swedish legal row over a Latvian company wanting to set up in Sweden but refusing to sign a Swedish wage agreement.

The commissioner in charge of Europe's single market was interpreted as siding with the Latvian company in resisting wage bargaining agreements as a restriction the free movement of workers.