THE PRESIDENT OF the European Commission is to meet with prospective Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Finland later this week with the renegotiation of Ireland’s multi-billion euro bailout on the agenda.
Jose Manuel Barroso said last night that he hopes for “constructive co-operation” with Kenny with the European leader already having called to congratulate Kenny, according to the Press Association.
German chancellor Anegela Merkel, who is also likely to be a key player in negotiations, has also phoned her congratulations along with UK prime minister David Cameron also making a call to Kenny.
It is understood that Kenny discussed the EU/IMF bailout with all European leaders he has spoken to so far.
The next Taoiseach will meet with Barroso and other leaders from the European People’s Party, the European Parliament’s center-right bloc in Helsinki, Finland later this week ahead of an EU summit of all leaders on 24 and 25 March.
Kenny is likely to use the occasion to insist that any lower interest rate applied to bailouts after 2013 be applied retroactively to Ireland’s current loan, according to the Irish Examiner.
European leaders have been so far non-committal over whether or not to adjust the terms of Ireland’s bailout.
Reuters reports that Merkel is under strong domestic pressure to resist calls for Europe to buy the sovereign debt of distressed governments.
Barroso said recently that he was “fully confident” Ireland would come through its financial difficulties.
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