Strasbourg may pass `anti-Irish' motion tonight

A motion expected to be passed by the European Parliament tonight has been denounced as anti-Irish and having undertones of racism by Irish MEPs.

The motion, sponsored by the Socialist group, expresses concern that "EU support in the order of 4 per cent of its GDP to Ireland, a member-state with a GDP clearly above the average of the Union now, enables Ireland to attract companies from other parts of the Union with subsidies and extremely low taxes".

It calls on the European Commission to end this situation "by which the Union directly and indirectly subsidises what they call de-localisation within the union".

The motion proposed by English Labour MEPs Mr Glyn Ford and Mr Ian White, with three Dutch Socialists, follows a decision by US multinational Rank Xerox to relocate to Dundalk by closing plants in England and the Netherlands with 950 jobs lost.

Mr Pat Cox MEP said such criticisms of Ireland were almost common gossip among the EU policy-making classes. Mr John Cushnahan (FG) said he was "appalled at the tabling of this resolution by the Socialist group and I challenge Labour MEP Ms Bernie Malone to repudiate the action of her Socialist colleagues". The resolution had "undertones of racism and jealousy particularly at the successful Irish economic performance" and he feared it was indicative of the sort of treatment Ireland can expect.

Fianna Fail MEP Mr Jim Fitzsimons described the resolution as anti-Irish, inflammatory and unusually divisive.

The Dublin Fine Gael MEP, Ms Mary Banotti, said she could fully understand the distress and concern for the jobs lost in the UK and the Netherlands.