Ahern ‘treading water’ in economy and environment views

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern was yesterday accused of “treading water” when it came to expressing a view on the environment and sustainable development.

Mr Ahern addressed an EU conference on sustainable development in Dublin Castle yesterday, in which he emphasised the Lisbon Agenda the plan to make the EU the largest and most competitive economy in the world within 10 years.

But Green Party TD Eamon Ryan, who attended the conference, claimed that Mr Ahern's interpretation of sustainable development focused primarily on economic and social policies while paying only lip service to the environment.