EU to probe Libertas funding

THE European Parliament is to collect information about the funding of the Libertas referendum campaign in Ireland and send it on to the Irish authorities.

The presidents of the political groups in the parliament discussed the issue at their meeting in Brussels yesterday for 45 minutes and decided against setting up a Committee of Enquiry. They said fears of external interference in a vote was the concern of the member country concerned — in this case Ireland — and it was up to the national authorities to investigate.

Irish MEP Brian Crowley, who attended the meeting as co-president of the UEN (Union for Europe of Nations) group, said they agreed to send whatever relevant information they get on the case to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) in Dublin.