Note submitted by the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office
IRISH PRESIDENCY: EMERGING PRIORITIES
1. I thought I should pull together the
threads of what we have gleaned on Irish Presidency priorities
before David Frost's meeting on Friday. Almost all of this has
been reported separately: this piece is designed to be a single
reference point. A list showing the timing and location of meetings
in Ireland during the Presidency is attached separately.
2. The over-riding theme from all my contacts
is that Irish ambitions for the Presidency are pragmatically low.
This is for a number of reasons:
— As a small member state, the machine
is pretty much at full capacity just keeping things running smoothly;
— They see decreasing scope for any
Presidency to impose its national agenda, particularly in the
new context of three year multi-annual strategic programmes for
the EU. And in any case this has never been the Irish way;
— Because the European Parliament will
be dissolving, and the Commission approaching the end of its term,
the window of opportunity for any legislation or new policy initiatives
during the Irish Presidency is even more severely restricted than
usual.
3. The DFA say Chris Patten summed up best
the task for the first half of 2004: "Managing normalcy".
That said, the Irish have identified a small number of key issues
which they will prioritise during their Presidency.
PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES
IGC
4. Most in the DFA still expect this to
spill over into the Irish Presidency, despite Berlusconi's ambition
to complete it by December. The Irish are conscious that it would
be easier for them to pursue their own national red lines if they
were not holding the Presidency. But regardless, they will fight
hard on their core concerns:
— Moves to unanimity on some aspects
of JHA, particularly criminal law
— ESDP/CFSP, particularly the ability
of small groups to act "on behalf" of the EU without
oversight by non-participating member states. On ESDP, as on all
IGC issues, the prospect of a referendum will be very much on
their minds. They will need a package they can sell as not undermining
Irish neutrality.
5. The Irish will fight tooth and nail against
any attempt to unpick the deal on institutions, particularly the
Commission. And they have not given up on their suggestion that
the European Foreign Minister (who in their view should not chair
the External Relations Committee) should be supported by Deputies
on regional/thematic issues, particularly one to act as an EU
political representative in the US.
6. On Treaty signature, the Irish have put
forward their cunning plan if the IGC is completed during their
Presidency—national signature ceremonies in all MS, starting
with the Presidency, and culminating in Rome at a ceremony to
which the Italians would be welcome to invite all other MS. They
are also conscious that there would need to be a European Council
to conclude the IGC. They would expect to arrange this in Brussels—they
do not have an appropriate venue to accommodate 25 Heads of Government,
their delegations and all the necessary interpretation.
Spring Council
7. Contacts with UK opposite numbers are
good. The Irish aim, which we support, is to have short, focussed
conclusions on a handful of key issues. The conclusions should
reflect a genuine discussion among Heads of Government. Emerging
themes include: implementation of the Lisbon agenda and stocktaking
at the half way stage; employment (the Kok report) and labour
mobility; competitiveness (including the role of the Competitiveness
Council; environmental technologies and R&D; entrepreneurship;
pensions (though they would want discussion to focus on sustainability,
where they are reasonably OK, rather than on adequacy, where they
score less well); health cards. The Irish Government are still
at the stage of squaring a short agenda with their own Government
Departments. They expect to firm it up, in consultation with the
Commission, in September.
8. The Irish are very committed to the Lisbon
process, and genuinely want to inject new impetus. They also see
getting media coverage for a Spring Council which is both positive
and focussed on economic reform rather than on the live issue
of the day as one of the big challenges of their Presidency.
Enlargement
9. The major concerns for the Irish Presidency
are not so much on policy (though clearly there will be huge implications)
as practical. The Irish are very conscious that the real physical
expansion will take place on their watch, and are concerned about
the implications for eg meeting rooms and interpretation. Their
main aim will be to avoid any impression of chaos, and ensure
that things continue to run smoothly. They will also want to ensure
that negotiations with Romania and Bulgaria keep up to pace.
10. The Irish have just written to confirm
that they will be hosting an enlargement event on 1 May 2004,
to which all Heads of Government will be invited. This is very
much Bertie Ahern's personal initiative. He thinks it inconceivable
not to mark such a historic event, despite the inconvenience of
the date, which is a bank holiday just about everywhere. In the
interests of bringing the EU closer to the people, there will
be a street carnival in Dublin, and other celebrations throughout
Ireland. The formal event for Heads of Government will take place
at Aras an Uachtarain around lunchtime, to allow Heads to get
in and out within the day. I will report by telegram, to ensure
a wide distribution.
JHA
11. The Treaty of Amsterdam set a deadline
of May 2004 for completing measures on asylum, immigration and
free movement. There is also much to be done on the broader Tampere
programme, including a review of progress and development of a
successor programme. So JHA will be a priority, but little information
on substance has emerged to date—we will be digging over
the summer.
EU/US
12. Probably the priority among external
issues—though there will also be meetings of ASEM Foreign
Ministers (April, Dublin) and Euromed Foreign Ministers (May,
Dublin) during the Presidency. The focus will be on encouraging
positive cooperation, and identifying concrete deliverables—I
am reporting initial thinking on issues separately by telegram.
Work will culminate in an EU/US Summit in the second half of May
or the second half of June, almost certainly in Dublin.
PRESIDENCY DOCUMENTATION
13. The Irish are delighted that their national
contribution to the Multi-annual Strategic Programme for the EU
2004-06 has been adopted by the Council Secretariat as the basis
on which to produce the final document.
14. The Council Secretariat will produce
after the summer a programme specifically for 2004. The Irish
and the Dutch are providing input before drafting begins, in order
to help shape the document. The Irish were particularly keen to
do it this way, rather than commenting on a Secretariat draft.
15. Ireland's own Presidency report will
come out only at the very end of December or in early January,
and will attempt to set the political context for the Presidency,
rather than just reiterating agenda items to be addressed.
16. We are arranging a series of meetings/lunches
with EU coordinators in sectoral Ministries, to put together as
full a picture as possible of Presidency themes in those areas
which are being accorded less high priority.
Sarah Tiffin
First Secretary (EU/economic)
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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