Vol. 572 No. 2
139 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the priorities of his Department in respect of Ireland's Presidency of the European Union in 2004; if his attention has been drawn to the interest being generated by these issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22673/03]
The over-riding priority for the Presidency, in so far as my own portfolio is concerned, is to ensure that normal EU business is conducted efficiently and effectively particularly given the additional workload and complexities associated which the accession of ten new member states. For my own part, I will be chairing the Education, Youth and Culture Council for those items in the cultural and audio-visual spheres which fall under my remit. The specific priorities for this council's work programme are currently being finalised with the Commission.
My Department will also manage the cultural programme associated with Ireland's Presidency of the EU. Enlargement will be a key focal point for this programme and the celebrations associated with the accession of the ten new member states will be hosted in Ireland around 1 May 2004. While many of the details are still to be worked out at this stage, it appears that relevant events will include: a major event in Dublin, with broadcast links throughout the EU; a broader programme of events to involve the wider population of Dublin; a programme of events, specifically focused on the various accession countries, which will involve arts practitioners and local communities in key locations around the country; Irish artists touring to the accession countries; inviting important artists and exhibitions from the accession countries to Ireland.
On the sports front, I will be launching 2004 as European Year of Education through Sport along with my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey. The launch of this significant EU-wide programme will take place in Dublin in January.
Tourism, per se, is not an area of competence for the EU. However, given the importance of the tourism sector in Europe and the opportunity which the Presidency presents to consider the key issues facing the industry in a European context, I have asked Fáilte Ireland to organise a business-focused conference on competitiveness in tourism during our Presidency. I will be in a position to announce further details on this conference in due course.
