Irish govt formation talks to begin this week

DUBLIN: The leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens said they have agreed to start formal negotiations for a programme for government this week.

Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar and Eamon Ryan held discussions on Tuesday morning to outline the negotiations process on a programme for government.

The negotiations are expected to go on for a few weeks.

Before the meeting, Ryan said he was confident that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have committed to a 7 per cent reduction in carbon emissions ahead of government formation talks.

Members of the Green Party want firm commitments from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on a number of ambitious climate change targets. The Greens have said a 7 per cent annual reduction in carbon emissions is a red line issue for them entering into a coalition government.

Ryan told RTE’s Morning Ireland that his party sought clarification from both parties over the weekend. “They’ve done a lot of work and come back and said, yes, we are committed to a set of ambitions,” he added.

It comes after Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin voted against entering coalition after Fine Gael deputy leader Simon Coveney said the 7 per cent yearly reduction in emissions would not be signed up to if it “decimates rural Ireland”.

Ryan said it was “perfectly normal and appropriate” to have different political views within a party. He said the Irish public is “frustrated” that talks are still ongoing after February’s inconclusive election. “One thing I’d say in that regard is I think in the three months, the Dail has actually pulled together behind the political approach in terms of managing the (coronavirus) crisis,” Ryan added.

“There’s been mistakes and people would do things differently, but I think it served the Irish public in the sense that we came together to agree

the immediate health crisis management.”

He said the coalition talks process will take a few weeks as all parties involved need to agree to an economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ryan added: “I think that’s what’s important, that’s what has changed in the last few months, is that we see those parties actually committing and saying, yes, we will actually be ambitious and be willing to deliver the measures that would reduce 7 per cent emissions each year, which is what the scientists say we need to do.

“This issue of biodiversity loss and climate change is the real scientific challenge we face and I’m hoping, the same way that we showed solidarity impacting the Covid-19 crisis, we can actually learn from that and gain from that and show the same solidarity both within our party and with other parties and as people mapping our way out of this.”