Brussels, 09/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The daily Irish Times has reported that on Monday evening 8 November, during his two-day visit to Dublin, European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn called on Irish politicians and social partners to come to “broad political agreement” on the four-year austerity plan which the Irish government is preparing (see EUROPE 10251). With a record 32% deficit in 2010 worrying financial markets, Ireland announced last week that it was to double the cuts in public spending in order to make savings of €6 billion. It is time that Ireland became a country with a normal level of taxation, Rehn reasoned. In the European Parliament on Monday (see related article), Eurogroup President Jean-Clause Juncker said he admired “the seriousness and the quality of the response by Irish authorities”. He did not doubt that Ireland would meet the expectations of European authorities. (M.B./transl.rt)