The bureaucracy of the EU hindered his plans for Doonbeg.
Donald Trump has referenced Ireland and the European Union in a joint-interview with The Times and German newspaper Bild.
The President-elect currently owns a golf course and hotel in Doonbeg, Clare and cited the bureaucracy of the EU as the main sticking point in his development of the resort.
Trump stated that it didn’t matter to him of the EU continued or was disbanded but expressed doubts regarding the euro currency and the future of the organisation.
Trump criticised the bureaucracy of the politico-economic union and said it was a challenge to member states.
“I own a big property in Ireland, a magnificent property called Doonbeg,” Trump said. “What happened is I went for an approval to do this massive, beautiful expansion. That was when I was a developer, now I couldn’t care less about it.
“But I learnt a lot because they were using environmental tricks to stop a project from being built. I found it to be a very unpleasant experience. To get approvals from the EU would have taken years.
“I don’t think that’s good for a country like Ireland. So you know what, I said forget it, I’m not going to build it.”
His interview comes just days after it was revealed Donald Trump’s golf course at Doonbeg made losses topping €5 million by the end of 2015.
Although it’s noted in these accounts that the resort was closed for part of 2015 as a €20 million redevelopment of the course’s facilities was carried out.
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