Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seán Crowe TD, has called on the European Commission to focus more on equitable growth and poverty reduction.

Crowe made the comments during an EU Affairs Committee meeting with Catherine Day, the Secretary General for the European Commission.

Deputy Crowe said:

“The European Commission is continuing to push ahead with its two-pack and six-pack reforms, as part of the European semester, which are further eroding sovereignty and reducing economic independence.

“Reading through the aims of the European Commission the focus is supposedly to avoid economic boom and bust cycles, and aimed at restoring economic growth to the EU.

“However there is no mention about equitable growth and poverty reduction.

“It shows a clear disconnect between European bureaucrats and the reality that is facing millions of struggling working families right across the EU.

“The European semester reforms primary aim seems to be just to ensure that Member States don’t deviate from the economic neo-liberal ideology that it is pushing.

“It doesn’t leave Member State with flexibility to implement alternative policies, which would be pro-investment, pro-growth, pro-jobs.

“In effect it is working to deny citizens real political choices when electing their governments.”

ENDS