Sir, – Eamonn McCann reports that Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister, has some harsh words for his former colleagues ("Undemocratic EU may not survive grim challenges", Opinion & Analysis, April 7th). In particular, Mr Varoufakis is quoted as stating that "the Eurogroup, where most of Europe's important economic decisions are taken, is a body which doesn't even exist in European law, that keeps no minutes of its procedures and insists its deliberations are confidential – that is, not to be shared with the citizens of Europe".
Whatever the merit may be in Mr Varoufakis’s central point of unaccountability (although I would note that, like the Eurogroup, the Irish cabinet does not release its minutes, and the confidentiality of cabinet meetings is constitutionally guaranteed), his criticism contains one glaring factual error. The Eurogroup (being nothing more than a meeting of the elected finance ministers from every country which has adopted the euro as its currency) received legal recognition in the Lisbon Treaty, and in particular Protocol 14 to that treaty. – Yours, etc,
CATHAL MALONE, BL
Carrigaline,
Co Cork.