Cowen praises results of EU summit

BRUSSELS, June 19 (UPI) -- Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen says the recent European Union summit was a success as it resulted in his country being granted two key demands.

Cowen said the international summit resulted in an agreement on interpretations of the Lisbon Treaty in the areas of neutrality, taxes and ethical issues, the EUobserver said Friday.

Cowen also praised the decision those agreed-upon interpretations will eventually become EU laws.

"We have agreement that the legally binding guarantees will be incorporated in a protocol in an EU treaty after the entry into force of Lisbon," the Irish official said following the summit.

"This outcome is of huge significance to Ireland and the European Union," he added.

The EUobserver reported Cowen also said smaller countries like Ireland would need to work with fellow EU members to combat the organization's two most important problems: climate change and the ongoing economic recession.