Alex Orr: Irish presidency of EU will be good for Scotland

In this role, the sixth in EU history, the Irish presidency will shape policies and drive forward legislation that will impact on the futures of 500 EU million citizens in a challenging period. Ireland’s problems mirror those of the EU, attempting to boost growth and job creation while driving down its deficit.

And as such, the results of the presidency of our Celtic neighbour will have an impact on Scotland with its focus on stability, growth and jobs. The priorities of the Irish presidency have been highlighted as banking supervision; reaching an agreement on the 2014-2020 EU budget, and unemployment, especially amongst the young.

Ireland will be responsible for carrying through the implementation of the Single Supervisory Mechanism for the eurozone’s 6,000 banks, with the banking union and deeper economic co-ordination vital to the stability of the EU.

The Irish presidency will also aim to target sectors with the highest growth potential, including trade with countries outside the EU and the Digital Agenda for Europe, The digital economy is viewed as one of the key drivers of growth, with it estimated that for every one job lost, 2.6 new jobs could be created online, as well as an EU GDP boost of some 2 per cent.

Multi- and bilateral trade agreements, such as the EU-US Trade Agreement, will serve to boost economic growth in the EU with it estimated that if the EU completed all the free trade agreements that are now being discussed it would add about 2 per cent to the continent’s GDP. The EU enlargement process will also continue with countries such as Serbia and Turkey.

Allowing SMEs to grow and create jobs, channelling the EU’s budget towards growth, building a single digital market for the future and placing a spotlight on youth unemployment are all measures which will impact on Scotland and the Irish presidency should clearly be followed with interest.

• Alex Orr is a European Movement board member.