Jan O'Sullivan
Question:33 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Finance his priorities for the Council of Finance Ministers for the period of Ireland's presidency of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30097/03]
Written Answers. - EU Matters.
The Irish Presidency's programme for the ECOFIN Council meetings will be published shortly. Among the priorities in the programme will be: preparation of ECOFIN's input to the Lisbon process and to the spring European Council to discuss that process, including the preparation of the ECOFIN presidency's key issues paper; examination of member states' stability and convergence programmes under the Stability and Growth Pact; integration of the ten acceding countries into the EU's economic policy co-ordination and Lisbon processes; preliminary consideration of the post-2006 financial perspectives that determine the EU budget for the period 2007-13, and of future regional policy in the EU; and pushing forward with legislation in financial services and other sectors; certain other areas – most notably the initiative for growth proposed by the Italian Presidency of the second half of 2003 and economic-financial issues arising at the intergovernmental conference – will continue as appropriate. I have held extensive consultations in the EU on the programme and have every confidence that the ECOFIN Council, in the period of the Irish Presidency, will make very substantial progress in pushing forward with this ambitious programme of work.