The Government will take strong and resolute actions in the December budget to address problems in public finances, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has said.
Speaking in New York Today, Mr Martin said “the issues we face are not easy….but we have to tackle them in a way that gets people back to work as soon as possible and stimulates sustainable economic growth.”
We must also protect the most vulnerable in our community who are least able to withstand the shocks of the economic crisis, he added.
Speaking to members of the business community, Mr Martin said Ireland must rely on exports “to grow the companies that will give us the employment and prosperity we seek”.
In his speech “After Lisbon: prospects for recovery and growth in the Irish economy”, Mr Martin also said the Irish people sent out a clear message to the world, that they want to remain at the heart of Europe.
We could not have achieved the remarkable rise in our standard of living over the last fifteen years without the financial support that we have received from Europe, he said, adding “throughout the last year, our membership of the European Union has also played a vital role in helping us to respond to the current financial crisis”.