Vol. 574 No. 3
51 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the nature of the sponsorship sought from commercial firms for Ireland's Presidency of the EU; the value of the sponsorship to date committed; the privileges or benefits the commercial companies involved will receive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26717/03]
Conscious of the success of the sponsorship arrangements in recent Presidencies, and the fact that this has very much become the norm, the Government took the view that the Presidency offers a valuable and important opportunity for Irish business to promote what is best about Ireland, in particular in the economic, trade and tourism areas.
The main role of the Presidency is to advance the agenda of the European Union but it is also the case that the Presidency of the day takes the opportunity to promote its country. It would be remiss of the Government if we did not maximise the exposure Ireland will gain from hosting the Presidency, which may well be the last of its kind. I also believe that sponsorship will help develop a wider ownership of, and involvement with, the Presidency.
We have, in particular, modelled our approach on that applied by the very successful Danish Presidency by inviting offers of sponsorship from companies. All sponsorship will be in the form of goods and services – no cash sponsorship will be considered.
There are a number of categories that particularly lend themselves to a sponsorship arrangement – transportation, catering, the provision of IT/telecommunications equipment and gifts in general. Similar categories have been sponsored during previous Presidencies. In this context, my Department contacted the various umbrella groups for business in Ireland, such as the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, the Irish Hotel Federation and the Society of the Irish Motor Industry to outline the sponsorship possibilities.
We are encouraged by the number of companies who have expressed interest in sponsorship. However, as negotiations with these parties are ongoing, I am not in a position at this stage to give details of the value of these offers. Prior to entering into a contract, all offers for sponsorship are being presented to the interdepartmental Presidency planning group, which will then decide on the appropriate sponsorship arrangements.
I am confident that when complete, not only will the costs of hosting the Presidency be reduced but there will be a framework in place which will maximise the exposure of Irish products to a wider European and international audience. This can only be of real benefit to the country.
