Donohoe set for re-election as EuroGroup President
This follows Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo withdrawing his candidacy to be president of the Eurogroup after it became evident that it lacked sufficient support.
Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius also told reporters today he was withdrawing his candidacy to be president of the Eurogroup.
Sadzius said he was doing so "in the name of consensus."
Minister Donohoe took the helm in 2020 at the informal body of finance ministers, whose chief also carries weight in Brussels policy-making.
When Mr Donohoe ran again in 2022, he was the sole candidate.
The Eurogroup chair is tasked with making sure EU countries that use the euro coordinate national financial policies - a job whose significance was on full show during the 2008 global financial crisis.
The vote for the next president will take place during the Eurogroup's meeting today.
A candidate needs a simple majority of 11 out of 20 votes to be elected, and the result will be announced immediately afterwards.
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘We do not support Putin': On board the sanctioned Russian ship in Killiney Bay
With his unkempt, sea-blown hair, barrel chest and bare feet, captain Vladimir Martus looks every inch the grizzled mariner as he stands at the helm of the Shtandart, which spent the last two days anchored in Killiney Bay. His appearance is well earned. The Shtandart, an exact replica of the first flagship of the Russian navy which was constructed by tsar Peter the Great in 1703, has only docked at port a handful of times in the last year. This is not by choice. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 , the Shtandart was a Russian-flagged ship and thus fell under subsequent EU sanctions, preventing it from doing business with member states or docking in their ports. Martus, from St Petersburg in Russia, attempted to rectify this in 2024 by reflagging the ship with that of the Cook Islands. However, in June 2024 the European Commission amended its sanctions to include 'replicas of historical ships' that were flagged as Russian at the time of the invasion. READ MORE As a result, the Shtandart had been refused permission to dock at most EU ports it has visited. Instead, it anchors out at sea while crew and supplies are ferried aboard by dinghy. It arrived in Killiney Bay off south Dublin on Monday, having sailed from La Rochelle and Saint-Malo in France where it had been denied permission to dock. On Tuesday, curious onlookers gathered along Vico Road to take photos of the strange, anachronistic vessel anchored a few hundred metres from the sea baths. On board, Martus is exasperated. He rails against accusations the Shtandart is a Russian 'propaganda' vessel. It is a training ship, on which international crews learn the art of seafaring, he says. He pulls up a copy of the crew manifest. Six are from Russia, while the rest of the 16 members are from all over the world, including the UK, China, Japan and the US. Most the crew appear young and inexperienced. They range in age from 18 to 75, Martus explains. Conditions on board the ship are basic and cramped, all in the name of authenticity. The anchor and helm are operated by ropes, just like on the original, while the crew sleep cheek-by-jowl in hammocks below deck. Iron cannons line the deck. There are just a few concessions to modernity. Unlike the sailors of Peter the Great, they have on-board toilets and a flat-screen television in the galley. Martus says he built the Shtandart, which launched in St Petersburg in 1999, with his own hands. 'I cut down the trees myself,' he says. The ship is undoubtedly a symbol of Russian naval strength. But Martus argues it is more symbolic of the links between Russia and Europe. The original was copied directly from a Dutch ship commissioned by William of Orange and was part of Peter the Great's efforts to open up his empire to European influences (Martus does concede, however, that the original Shtandart was also used against Sweden in the Great Northern War). Captain Vladimir Martus, with the Shtandart in the background, in Killiney Bay in south Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times 'We do not support Putin,' he says, adding that he is against the war in Ukraine. His father was from Ukraine and he has a cousin fighting with the Ukrainian armed forces. The house of his aunt and uncle in Donetsk was recently hit by a Russian missile, he says. The captain alleges individuals have been running a 'campaign' against the ship and creating a distorted picture of its purpose in EU countries. The 'No Shtandart in Europe' campaign presents a different picture of the ship and its captain. It has accused Martus of violating maritime law and has called on the Irish authorities to ban the vessel from its waters entirely. 'Subsequently, if the Shtandart continues to access prohibited waters and ports, Vladimir Martus should be arrested and expelled to Russia,' the campaign said. Martus says he has not bothered to seek permission to dock in Dublin, as he knows it will be denied. The ship's next stop is Aberdeen but it may have to stop somewhere in Ireland along the way to take on fresh drinking water, he says. He hopes this will be permitted for humanitarian reasons. The ship also has to get rid of a significant amount of rubbish. [ Russia denies stalling peace efforts amid claims it has made fresh gains in Ukraine Opens in new window ] On Tuesday morning, the Shtandart was hailed by the Irish Naval Service ship LÉ Aoibhinn. Martus was interrogated about his intentions. 'We had half an hour radio communication. They were very friendly and wished us well,' he says. In response to queries, the Department of Transport, which regulates marine traffic, said it is aware of the Shtandart's arrival off south Dublin. It said that, according to information from third party sources, the ship is registered under a Russian flag and is therefore likely to be subject to sanctions. A department spokesman said it has contacted all east coast ports under its remit to 'ensure appropriate measures are taken'. Martus has two court cases pending in Europe against the sanctions regime, which he argues does not apply to wooden vessels. He says he is worried about the future of the ship. 'Either these cases succeed or the war ends; I don't know.' Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire Barry Ward wrote to Timmy Dooley, Minister of State with responsibility for Marine Affairs, calling for the 'urgent' removal of the ship from Irish waters. 'The captain of this ship is showing clear disregard for the EU sanctions, and this arrogance and perception of impunity cannot be permitted,' Ward said. The ship departed Killiney Bay at about 3pm on Tuesday and set sail for Aberdeen in Scotland. Locals seemed more relaxed about the Shtandart's presence on Tuesday, with some going out of their way to offer assistance. Martus points to buckets of fresh crabs and lobsters 'donated by friendly fisherman'. One of the ship's younger crew members, an American man, wore a tweet jacket he had just purchased while ashore. The shop owner had thrown in a cloth cap for free, he says. 'I love your country.' At the Vico Baths, local woman Niamh Wyatt said that on Monday she brought crew members to West Wood gym for hot showers and to a laundromat to clean their clothes. 'They're lovely,' she says. 'I feel bad for them.'
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Hungary's failure to tackle high-level corruption a concern, EU report says
A continued failure by Hungary to tackle cases of high-level corruption remains a 'concern' for the European Union , a new report has said. Hungary's far-right government, led by populist prime minister Viktor Orban , was criticised for overseeing a 'deteriorating environment' for civil-society organisations in the central European country. A report assessing the rule of law across the EU said judges in Hungary faced 'undue pressure' and people believed there was a high level of corruption in the public sector. EU commissioner for justice Michael McGrath said it was 'deeply disappointing' that the situation in Hungary had not improved over the last year. READ MORE The recent attempt to ban the LGBT+ Pride parade in Budapest was a further example that Hungary had slipped backwards, he said. The EU's annual rule of law report said the number of people convicted in Hungary over corruption charges had decreased, though the number of initial indictments remained high. The risk of 'political influence and undue interference' on police investigators and prosecutors was worrying, the report said. The lack of investigations into alleged corruption by high-ranking Hungarian officials and those in their close circles 'remain areas of concern', the report said. It also raised fears about 'clientelism, favouritism and nepotism' in the Hungarian public administration. Ongoing concerns about the government undermining the rule of law and civil society has led to €18 billion of EU funding due to Hungary being frozen by the European Commission , the union's executive arm that proposes and enforces EU laws. 'Concerns related to the absence of procedural safeguards and effective oversight in case of secret surveillance measures outside criminal proceedings have not been addressed,' the report said. The commission's report criticised prime minister Robert Fico 's populist government in Slovakia for putting further pressure on civil-society groups and making it more difficult for independent journalists to work. There had been no progress made to improve the investigation and prosecution of cases involving high-level corruption, the report said. The power of a prosecutor general in Slovakia to annul the final decisions of lower-level prosecutors was concerning, it added. Speaking in Strasbourg, Mr McGrath said work to improve the rule of law had picked 'the low-hanging fruit' over recent years. Progress national capitals were being asked to make on other recommendations for 'deeper, more structural' reforms would take longer. The EU report said large publicly-funded contracts and infrastructure projects were sectors vulnerable to corruption in Spain. It noted that a previous survey had found many companies felt corruption had prevented them from winning public contracts in the last three years. There had been 'limited progress' bringing in comprehensive rules governing political lobbying in Italy, the report said. There were similar shortcomings in Bulgaria's effort to ensure a higher standard of integrity across government.
Irish Post
4 hours ago
- Irish Post
Irish government to ease apartment standards to help combat housing crisis
THE Irish Government has introduced a plan to relax apartment design standards, aiming to speed up construction after a sharp drop in new developments being built. The updated guidelines will reduce minimum apartment sizes as well as requirements for open space and shared facilities. The move comes after a nearly 25% drop in apartment completions last year, with just over half of the government target of 50,000 units actually being built. Housing Minister James Browne said the changes are intended to make apartment buildings easier and cheaper for developers without compromising on essential quality standards. "We are using every tool available to boost supply," Browne said in a public statement, describing the move as part of the government's strategy to confront the ongoing housing crisis. However opposition figures were quick to criticise the decision, warning it could lead to cramped and poorly designed homes. Developers, on the other hand, have pointed to strict rent controls and high borrowing costs as the biggest obstacle to building. The government made changes to its rent control framework in June in its latest attempt to get more developers building again. Recent figures released by Eurostat show that on average people in Dublin can spend up to 65% of income on rent, the highest in the EU. Contrast this with Riga, the Latvian capital, where the average is around 26%. See More: Housing Crisis, James Browne
