09. 09. 10. - 12:00

Martin upbeat about Ireland's recovery

Irish Fianna Fáil Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin has said he is convinced "Celtic Tiger" Ireland will recuperate after having badly suffered through the recent economic crisis.

Martin told Austrian daily Die Presse today (Thurs): "We’ve cut wages in the public and private sectors. (…) Ireland has become competitive again during the past 15 months. I think we’re on a good path."

The minister dismissed claims the Irish would accept all austerity measures without reservation. He explained: "Don’t get that wrong. The Irish aren’t happy about the cuts – they are angry. But they know things must change.

"The Irish had to go through a severe recession in the 1980s. They know it lasted longer than it should have at that time because there wasn’t an appropriate reaction to economic developments. That’s why they know now that we must act," he added.

Michael stressed that he wanted to avoid a "brain drain" in his country. He said: "The unemployment rate is very high at 13.6 per cent. (…) We want the young and well educated to stay in Ireland. That’s why we decided to carry out tough measures."

Asked why the Irish did not demonstrate against the government’s decision to raise the retirement age in contrast to France, where hundreds of thousands took to the streets earlier this week, the minister said: "We have a different attitude. We don’t shun work.

"We increased the retirement age from 66 to 67 – that’s just one year more. Apart from that, we have informed the people that the law will come into effect only in 2014."