Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

President Juncker is a politician with considerable experience. It is not for me to comment on the tax structures of any individual country. We have our own structures, and we have been forthright in defending them. There were some comments internationally about the concept of the double Irish and the concept of statelessness. We got rid of that. The only way of having a system that really stands up is where all countries work together within an overall framework for a global economy, and that is where we are. The European Council has agreed on that.

I remind the Deputy that on 24 October the European Council, as a representative of the 28 countries, ratified his appointment as President of the Commission and, earlier in the week, there was a free vote in plenary session of European Parliament, whereby the 751 Members, who represent all countries and shades of political opinion, voted strongly in favour of President Juncker and the 27 other Commissioners.

I obviously do not speak for the European Parliament. It is well able to make up its own mind and its decision was clear.

I wish him the best in his Presidency. He has appointed a number of former Prime Ministers to look after groups of strategies. The reason for that, which I discussed with him, was to appoint people who understand politics and that when decisions are made they should be followed through, not swallowed up and strangled in bureaucracy, red tape and administrative obstacles. I hope that when this Commission makes its decisions politically, it will be able to follow through on them on a clearly defined path that will make them effective. Deputy Broughan is well aware of issues that were decided by the European Commission but that subsequently got bogged down in mounds of paper which made them unworkable. The reason for having Vice Presidents of the Commission who were former Prime Ministers in their individual countries was that they understand that political decisions should be followed through in a way that makes them workable and effective for what they are intended to do.

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