European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso tonight said he was “fully confident” that Ireland would overcome its economic crisis.
Mr Barroso told academics in Cambridge that he had “great” confidence in the ability of the State to resolve its current difficulties.
And he said the decisions the commission was taking to support struggling European states were “the right ones”.
“I have great confidence in the Irish Government,” said Mr Barroso, when answering questions following a lecture at Cambridge University.
“I am fully confident that the Irish economy will overcome this situation, which was the result of unprecedented behaviour in the financial sector.”
He told an audience of university staff and students: “Overall the European Union is not in a bad position in terms of debt. What we have is a problem in some member states.
“I believe the decisions we have been taking are the right ones. We have been supporting fully,” he added.
PA