Seanad debates

Thursday, 27 November 2003

Address by President of the European Parliament.

 

Many Members mentioned the Stability and Growth Pact. I have mixed feelings about it. On a strictly rules based approach, I agree with the sentiments of Senator Brian Hayes and others who asked why the big countries should get away with it. From that point of view, they should not if that is the essential question. The rules of the pact are relatively clear. However, while I accept that they were skirted this week, they were not necessarily entirely ignored. When there is a persistent breach of deficits, which is the case for France and Germany, there is, to avoid Euro-speak, a procedure where, ultimately, the European Commission shows a red card. However, the fine which might happen as a result of the breach does not follow automatically. Those are the rules in the treaty. It goes to the ECOFIN Council in the euro zone and it must figure out by judgment if it should be exercised as a fine. In those terms, exercising judgment is provided for in the rules and, as such, it is not a breach of the rules. In the rules based approach, the logic should be clear, namely, it is the same rule for everyone.

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