Mr. Marco Buti:

On the recommendation, the Council of the member states, six months before, had issued what was called broad economic policy guidelines, which was the only tool that we had outside the Stability and Growth Pact at the time. What was said at the time was a call, in the broad economic policy guidelines, on Ireland to have a fiscal policy which would exert a restraint in order not to be, as they say of economies, pro-cyclical or add to the boom. This was the broad economic policy guideline. Then there was the draft budget 2001 presented by the Irish Government. Subsequent to that, the Commission recommended removing the inconsistency with the broad economic policy guidelines by the budget plan in 2001 by taking countervailing budgetary measures during the current fiscal year. The issue was to temper with restraining measures the expansionary effect of the budget, which was clearly pro-cyclical.