FF defends ‘disgraceful’ EU attendance

MINISTERS in the last Government failed to turn up to almost two-thirds of crucial European finance meetings as the economic crisis took hold.

An analysis of attendance records for the monthly ECOFIN meetings backs up the claim by Taoiseach Enda Kenny in the Dáil on Wednesday that the relationship between the last administration and our European partners was “nothing short of disgraceful”.

Between the general election in June 2007 and the one earlier this year, just 13 of 37 of these economic and finance meetings of the European Council were attended by Finance Ministers Brian Cowen and his successor, Brian Lenihan.