Charlie McCreevy: gloomy outlook for the next few years.

Political Correspondent

The Finance Ministersaid economic growth rates for the next three years were likely to be significantly less that projected last June. He said a recent meeting of European finance ministers painted a gloomy picture of only marginal growth rates around Europe.

"Growth rates will be very different from those experienced up to the year 2000. Those rates, on which some public expectations are still based, are history," he said.