Leaders of the EPP met in Dublin today to debate the economic situation in Europe during a meeting hosted by the Leader of the Fine Gael and Vice-President of the EPP, Enda Kenny. The basis for the discussion was the document on tax competition recently adopted by all the EPP member parties.

“The European Union (EU), as well as the whole world, is beginning to experience a difficult economic situation because of inflation and low economic growth. We have to act quickly; this is why the EPP met today. We will pursue our discussion on this issue in the coming months”, stated the President of the EPP, Wilfried Martens.

Mr Kenny said, “I am delighted to welcome the leaders of the EPP in Dublin. I also welcome the EPPs reaffirmation of its policy on tax competition.”

Participants in today’s meeting included German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and Prime Minister of Belgium, Yves Leterme. The President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, and the Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, also attended the meeting, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Malta, Tonio Borg; Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Yannis Valinakis; Minister of the Czech Republic, Cyril Svoboda; and Foreign Affairs Minister of FYROM, Antonio Milososki.

The leader of GERB (Bulgaria), Boyko Borissov; the Chairman of TS-LK (Lithuania), Andrius Kubilius; and the Chairman of the CDA Group in the Dutch Parliament, Pieter Van Geel, were also present.

Other participants included EPP Vice-Presidents Alojz Peterle (Slovenia), Jacek Saryusz Wolski (Poland), and Peter Hintze (Germany), and Secretary General of the EPP, Antonio López-Istúriz.

For more information:
Javier Jiménez
EPP Press Officer
Rue du Commerce, 10
B-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 285 41 56 / +32 475 480 446
Fax:+ 32 2 285 41 41
E-mail: press@epp.eu / jjimenez@epp.eu