The head of Social Justice Ireland Father Sean Healy has said Ireland is in the midst of a "lost decade".
The group is calling for a return to the European Social Model, which it says is being undermined by unelected bureaucrats from the European Commission and the European Central Bank.
It is holding a conference on the issue in Dublin today which has heard that Ireland's high levels of debt and unemployment have to be addressed if the country is to emerge from the current economic crisis.
Father Healy said, unless this happens, Ireland "will lose another five years".
