I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 29, inclusive, together.
On Friday, 29 October, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I joined our European Council colleagues in Rome to officially sign the text of the treaty to establish a constitution for Europe. The treaty will not come into effect until it has been ratified by all member states in accordance with their constitutional requirements. The target date for its entry into force is 1 November 2006.
Given the role played by Ireland during its Presidency of the EU in reaching a consensus agreement on the text of the constitution, I was asked to speak at the official ceremony. The text of the speech I gave has been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. In addition to the signing ceremony, I also hosted a reception for the Irish religious community in Rome and visited a number of Irish religious houses in the city. My address at that reception has also been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Other than my bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Blair at the signing ceremony in Rome, and again at the European Council in November, which I will cover in my reply to questions tabled on Northern Ireland issues, I did not have any formal bilateral meetings with other EU leaders on the margins of the signing ceremony in Rome or the November European Council.
On 10 November, I made a detailed statement to the Dáil on the discussions and outcome of the European Council which took place on 4 and 5 November. I propose, therefore, to briefly summarise the issues discussed. Mr. Wim Kok made a presentation to the European Council on the main recommendations of the high level group which had independently assessed, in the context of the mid-term review, progress to date on the Lisbon Agenda. The European Council agreed that the Commission should report by the end of January on the necessary proposals for the mid-term review. The Council discussed the communicating Europe ministerial process, launched during Ireland's Presidency.
The European Council adopted the Hague Programme on strengthening the area of freedom, security and justice. The Commission will now prepare an implementation plan for the programme. The Commission President presented the latest Commission reports on the future enlargement of the EU. External relations were also discussed, in particular Sudan-Darfur, Iraq, Iran and the Middle-East. The European Council also welcomed the revised proposals for the new European Commission, as outlined by President-designate, Mr. José Manuel Barroso. I am pleased that this Commission has now been approved and has taken office. I did not have any bilateral discussions at the Council with President-designate Barroso about the withdrawal of the Italian nominee and the presentation of a new list of commissioners.
The agenda for the December European Council has yet to be finalised. However, it is expected to take decisions on outstanding enlargement questions such as the opening of negotiations with Turkey and Croatia and the conclusion of negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania. In addition the Presidency will present a report to the European Council on progress achieved since June 2004 on the Financial Framework 2007-2013. The Council is also expected to review progress made since June this year in the fight against terrorism.
The National Forum on Europe has been allocated funding of €1.3 million for 2005, as opposed to €1.151 million in 2004. This represents a 13% increase on the funds provided for 2004. As an independent body, it is a matter for the National Forum on Europe to decide how it will utilise these funds during the year.
On 1 November, I met the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, Mr. Donald Tsang during his official visit to Ireland. We discussed our excellent bilateral economic relations including co-operation in the areas of science and technology, education, justice and health. We also discussed Hong Kong's efforts to progress its economic and trade agenda with the European Union and the wider world.
I met with the Chinese Vice-Premier, Mr. Huang Ju during his official visit to Ireland. We noted that Ireland and China enjoy excellent bilateral political and economic relations. I said I was very much looking forward to my visit to China next January as it will provide an invaluable opportunity to strengthen our bilateral ties. I indicated to the Premier that I would be accompanied on my visit by a large trade delegation from a range of Irish businesses who look forward to developing business links and contacts with Chinese business leaders.
The Vice-Premier and I discussed co-operation in education, research and culture and noted the value of the bilateral agreements signed in these areas. I said that we were pleased to have a strong and vibrant young Chinese community living in Ireland. We discussed the steady progress in EU-China relations and the improvement of our interaction through the ASEM process.
I wrote to Mr. George Bush offering my congratulations on his re-election as President of the United States and wishing him success in meeting the challenges that he will face over the next four years in office. I also looked forward to building even closer relations with the United States both at national level and at the level of the European Union. I have also written to Senator John Kerry wishing him the best for the future.
I met with the US Secretary of Treasury, Mr. John Snow, on 15 November. We reviewed international economic issues and our bilateral trade and economic relations. We also had a brief discussion on a number of key political issues, including the Middle East peace process. Secretary Snow briefed me on the post election agenda for President Bush and on his plans for the future of the US economy.