Barroso highlights EU-Irish tensions

The poor state of EU-Irish relations burst into the open with Commission president José Manuel Barroso’s ‘moment of truth’ in the midst of the EU summit.

For at least the second time in a year, his wish to visit Ireland was not too subtly refused — first to launch the EU jobs and growth programme at a big conference in Dublin during the presidency and then to celebrate Ireland’s exiting the bail-out.

Economics Commissioner Olli Rehn suffered a similar fate and the refusal was none too polite. That the commission was the country’s sole ally at times with other member states demanding blood was forgotten — but then the commission’s communications policy on Ireland has not helped.