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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Oct 2003

Vol. 571 No. 4

Written Answers. - EU Presidency.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

253 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress made in preparation for the Irish EU Presidency in January 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20396/03]

Preparation for the Irish Presidency of the EU has been in hand since 2001 when two interdepartmental committees were established, chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs, to co-ordinate the policy, programming and logistical aspects of Presidency planning. These groups report through the Department of Foreign Affairs to the interdepartmental co-ordinating committee on EU affairs and the Cabinet sub-committee on European affairs. In addition, the Department of the Taoiseach chairs an interdepartmental group which is co-ordinating preparations for the spring European Council.

A draft calendar of Council meetings during our Presidency was circulated to partners in July and has been deposited in the Oireachtas Library. Planning for meetings in Ireland is also well advanced and the list of these meetings has also deposited in the Oireachtas Library for the information of Members. This calendar will be updated on a regular basis as further decisions regarding meetings are taken.

The additional staff resources required for the Presidency have been assigned. Chairpersons for the many meetings which Ireland will be required to chair have been designated. A comprehensive training programme for staff was conducted over, the past 18 months, by the Centre for Management and Organisation Development at the Department of Finance and is now nearing completion. The logo for the Presidency has been chosen and work is well advanced on the development of our Presidency website.

We are working with the other five Presidencies for the period 2004-06, namely, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Austria and Finland, on a draft three year multi-annual strategic programme for the Council which is due to be adopted, following consideration in the General Affairs and External Relations Council, at the European Council in December 2003. We are also working intensively with The Netherlands on the annual operating programme for the Council for 2004, which is to be drawn up jointly by the Irish and Netherlands Presidencies and submitted to the General Affairs and External Relations Council in December 2003. Work on the development of the Irish Presidency programme is ongoing. It will have to be consistent with the annual and multi-annual programmes and take account of progress made under the Italian Presidency. It is expected to be finalised after the European Council in December.

In addition, particular effort has been made to step up contacts at all levels with the EU institutions, our partners in the member states and accession countries and key partners around the world. Over the past few months, I have met many of my counterparts from the ten accession states and have discussed plans and priorities for our Presidency. I have also just come back from attending the UNGA week in New York where, as a member of the EU Troika, I participated in a range of meetings with the Foreign Ministers of the US, Russia, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, the San Jose group of Central American countries and the Andean group and the Gulf states.
I am confident we are well positioned to take on our Presidency responsibilities and carry them out effectively when the time comes. I briefed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs on 9 September concerning the likely priorities of our Presidency. The Oireachtas will of course be kept fully informed as these matters take shape.
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