Ireland is currently pleading with the European Commission to ensure that any money spent on the State’s response to the current migrant crisis will not affect the State’s budget.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has said that there may be a “cost factor” to accommodating migrants which, if taken from the State’s annual deficit will affect Ireland’s ongoing economic recovery.
Speaking ahead of Wednesdays cabinet meeting he stated that he fully expects expenditure on the current migrant crisis to remain outside of Ireland’s national deficit targets.
He stated that; “Ireland wants to play its full part in dealing with what is a humanitarian crisis for Europe and indeed the world,”.
“One of the things I’ve been asking of the Commission is that any monies expended in these matters would not be part of the fiscal space that would be required of every other area of expenditure.
“I think that would be something that the Commission should accede to.”
The European Commission have yet to respond on the issue.