I've seen very little comment in the Irish media about what I consider the radical and far reaching proposals that are coming out of the Task Force, chaired by EU President Van Rompuy (Brian Lenihan in Ireland's representative on same) in relation to improving budgetary discipline of EU Member States. According to the press release issued by Van Rompuy's office after the Task Force meeting this week (keep in mind that it was only set up in March and that this was only its second meeting), there was more or less consensus amongst all the 27 member states regarding the idea of a 'European budgetary semester' which would mean that all Member States would have to submit a draft budget in the spring of the previous year to the Commission and to the other Member States for their approval (before the details of the budget were discussed by the national parliament in the autumn) and there was significant agreement in relation to the idea of imposing sanctions on Member States that breached the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact (including, for instance, witholding structural funds and CAP payments from MS who breached the 3% deficit rule!)
Am I the only person that finds it odd that there has been very little media debate about this? I don't even think that the opposition parties have properly picked up on it and looked for a debate in the Dáil (other than the silly populist Fine Gael rumpus a few weeks ago)
Am I the only person that finds it odd that there has been very little media debate about this? I don't even think that the opposition parties have properly picked up on it and looked for a debate in the Dáil (other than the silly populist Fine Gael rumpus a few weeks ago)