Charlie O'Connor
Question:271 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Finance the plans his Department has to promote Ireland's EU Presidency with the Irish public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2798/04]
View answerTuesday, 3 February 2004
Questions (142)
Written answers
My Department and I are very conscious of promoting Ireland's EU Presidency with the Irish public. The overall national responsibility for promoting the Presidency rests mainly with the Department of Foreign Affairs, to whose Minister the Deputy has addressed a similar question that is also being replied to today.
The Department of Finance, within its ambit of responsibilities, would contribute to such national promotions as the Communicating Europe Initiative and the eu2004.ie Presidency website, which are referred to in the reply by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
My Department's press office also ensures that the media and the public are kept fully informed of developments in the economic and financial spheres, more particularly in relation to the Council of EU Ministers of Economics and Finance, ECOFIN Council, which meets on a monthly basis and which I have the honour to chair for the six months of the Presidency.
The work of ECOFIN will be especially evident to the Irish people when it holds its informal meeting in Ireland, in Punchestown, from 2 to 4 April. My Department has taken on additional media information resources in connection with that event to ensure the best possible information for the public in Ireland and the EU generally. Some 300 delegates and up to 400 media personnel will attend the event. It will be one of the largest meetings of the Presidency to be held in Ireland.
The principal focus of ECOFIN over the period of the Presidency will be on ensuring that the integration of the ten new member states joining on 1 May, so enlarging the EU to 25 member states, operates as smoothly as possible in the economic and financial spheres. Another priority will be the pushing forward with the economic and financial aspects of the Lisbon Agenda under which we in the EU set ourselves the goal of becoming the world's most competitive knowledge based economy by 2010. Both enlargement and the Lisbon Agenda are immensely important projects for the EU and for this country, and will provide expanded economic opportunities for our businesses and our citizens into the future.
My Department will also be informing the public on other Presidency events which it is organising in Ireland, most notably a meeting of Ministers for regional policy, to be hosted by the Minister of State at my Department, Deputy Parlon, in Portlaoise on 26 to 27 February. This meeting will make an important contribution to the future of regional policy in the EU. I am satisfied that my Department is taking the strongest possible steps to ensure that the Irish public is fully informed on the work of the Department during the Presidency.