Kenny: We can lead EU out of doldrums

Ireland will seek to move Europe beyond austerity and place renewed emphasis on boosting economic growth when it assumes the presidency of the EU, Enda Kenny has said.

But the European Central Bank would need to break from rigid policies and play a “fuller role” in resolving the eurozone debt crisis, the Taoiseach indicated.

In a speech suffused with religious imagery at Harvard University in Massachusetts, Mr Kenny drew a link between Ireland’s role in spreading Christianity in Europe and the role the country could play in the EU’s economic recovery.