Ireland’s hosting of the EU presidency in January will be a “huge opportunity” for us to rehabilitate our image in Europe, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has said.
It would be a chance for Ireland to re-establish itself within the EU as “a progressive problem-solving country” that led by example.
“I think there is a fantastic correlation developing in terms of Ireland domestically showing it can recover and make difficult but intelligent decisions . . . and at the same time take a leadership role as the presidency within the European Union to help solve broader problems as well, to be a bridge-builder and a compromise-finder between bigger states.”
He was speaking to the Association of European Journalists in Dublin.
He said there was “big flaw” in the emphasis in Common Agriculture Policy reform on sustainability and climate change.
“You cannot ignore the fact that by 2030, the world is going to need 50 per cent more food in volume terms.”
