Engineers debate Irish economy future

THE economic possibilities to allow Ireland to regain financial stability will be discussed at the Engineers Ireland Annual Conference in Galway this week. Economist David McWilliams, former President of the European Parliament Pat Cox and the Chief Executive of Aer Lingus Christoph Mueller will address the event in the Galway Bay Hotel on March 31 and April 1. 'A critical challenge for the new Government is how to manage the various state assets, with regard to how they are used to facilitate Ireland's economic recovery,' John Power, Director General of Engineers Ireland said. 'It is insightful that only one third of our members, engineers who play a key role in many of these semi-state companies, believe these assets should be privatised. There is a clear issue here in that the new coalition must strike a delicate balance between plugging the gap in the public finances but also leveraging these strategically vital assets to optimise Ireland's prospects of re-creating economic wealth.'