Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

I could not agree more with the Minister that co-operation between all members of the EU will be vital. Will he agree that of late the decisions being made are more in the interests of Germany than of the periphery countries? For example, the recent increase in interest rates suits Germany and not the periphery countries like Ireland. It will be difficult for periphery countries to recover if Chancellor Merkel is to be a better German than she is a European. The Germans are controlling everything. Chancellor Merkel knows that it will be good business in the long term for Germany to look after the periphery countries because Germany has done well out of the European Union and the euro. However, if Chancellor Merkel is now, because of fear of the German electorate, to make decisions that are more insular and Germany orientated, the periphery countries will suffer.

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