Kenny invites heads of 10 EU states to Ireland

THE heads of 10 EU governments are expected to come to Ireland at the invitation of opposition leader Edna Kenny once the date of the Lisbon Treaty referendum is announced.

Fine Gael leader Mr Kenny is one of the vice-presidents of the European People’s Party (the largest group in the European Parliament) and will host a meeting of the EPP in Ireland, he said.

In Brussels yesterday he had meetings with the group’s most senior EU members, Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the Commission and Hans Gert Pottering, president of the European Parliament.

He briefed them on the state of play in Ireland on the upcoming referendum and discussed the country’s climate change targets announced this week by the Commission.

Afterwards Mr Kenny said that he invited Mr Barroso and the entire EPP leadership to Dublin.

“It is becoming imperative that the Taoiseach fixes a date for the vote. If the referendum is to be held in late May or early June he needs to bring the bill to the Dáil next week, otherwise the vote will not be held until the autumn.”