asked the Taoiseach if, as incoming President of the Council, he has under consideration a programme of meetings with other EEC Heads of State prior to assuming the Presidency.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Presidency.
3.
I shall be meeting some heads of Government, informally, at the signing of the Treaty governing the accession of Greece to the European Communities. There will be a meeting of the European Council in Strasbourg on 22 and 23 June. Apart from those, I have no plans for other meetings prior to the country's assuming the Presidency.
Would the Taoiseach agree that such meetings would be useful in deciding on the priorities to be followed during the Irish Presidency of the Council? Would the Taoiseach indicate what such priorities would be?
I do not think that meetings arranged now would have much effect on the priorities. In any event I do not think meetings between heads of Government should take place hastily: there should not be any question of "dropping in" if anything substantial has to be discussed. Our initiatives will be made known at the proper time.
Would the Taoiseach agree that this is the time to be considering the priorities to be pursued by us during the Irish Presidency, which occurs, after all, at infrequent intervals? Could not bilateral meetings be helpful in setting out the prospects of success for such priorities?
A meeting under the French Presidency has not yet taken place.
Can the House be assured that we will have more information about this question than we had about Question No. 2? Will the Government make their position clearer than they did on my question on the North?
I have given more information than my predecessor did in relation to European activities.
We now know more about Europe than about Ireland.
The Deputy is being very clever.