Ireland takes over the presidency of the council of the European Union (EU) and the European Council for a six-month period on January 1st, 2004.
According to the most recent Government Budget Estimates, which detail projected spending in the coming year, the presidency will cost almost €50 million next year.
Of this, the largest amount goes to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which receives €25 million, with €7 million of this accounted for by salaries for 140 extra staff, most of whom are redeployed from other Departments.
The money allocated to the presidency indicates the size of the undertaking involved. But what other challenges do the planning and preparation present?
While Ireland's six-month stint begins January 1st, departmental planning began as far back as 2001. As part of this process, an interdepartmental administrative planning group was established to look at co-ordinating areas as diverse as transport, telecommunications and catering.
Another committee, the interdepartmental co-ordinating committee, examines the more substantive areas of the presidency, such as policy formation. As with the administrative planning groups, senior representatives from Departments take part in this committee, and report to the Cabinet-level Committee on European Affairs, which is usually chaired by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. As January 2004 approaches, various other committees have also been set up throughout the different Government Departments, and at many levels.
For the first time under Ireland's stewardship, a three-year strategy will also be initiated and a work programme for the next six years finalised. The aim of this will be to give the role of the presidency a medium- to long-term perspective.
While the main co-ordinator is the Department of Foreign Affairs, all others would also have an input on areas of policy formation which concern them.
Communication between Departments is clearly essential to ensure the presidency runs smoothly. But communication between Government and the public is another consideration. For example, 300-350 journalists are expected to arrive here to cover the meeting of the EU's finance ministers in Kildare in April 2004.
Each will be accredited and provided with adequate access to information.
Interestingly, a principal communication tool for this presidency will be the internet, with €1.5 million allocated to the construction and management of the official website. This has to cater to a wide audience, including EU officials, members of the public, and journalists. There will be almost 200 official meetings taking place in Ireland during the presidency, and each of these would normally be chaired by a representative from this State.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the numbers of meetings taking place since Ireland previously held the presidency in 1996 has risen by almost 50 per cent.
Clearly, with 10 new entrants joining the EU during the Irish tenure, this means the depth and breadth of the job has also expanded greatly.
This expansion of the role is something which Italy, currently holding the reins, is only too aware of. Mr Andrea Lepore, deputy chief of mission at the Italian embassy in Dublin, explains that during his country's six months, there has been one official meeting nearly every two days. "These two presidencies happen to be two of the most important in the history of the EU," he says. "The Irish will have the task to have a presidency with new rules and new countries which are not anymore in-between, but in already."
Ireland is a relatively smallrepublic which has seen significant economic growth in recent years.
Yet it still has certain infrastructural problems which are partly attributable to its size. For example, trying to co-ordinate the arrival of ministers from 25 states at Dublin Airport or other smaller airports, such as Baldonnel - often in private jets and with their own individual requirements - while at the same time providing suitable accommodation, presents logistical challenges which larger countries, such as Italy, would not find as difficult to address.
This has led some to suggest that the idea of individual countries hosting meetings as part of their presidency might give way in future to an alternative arrangement whereby many meetings would take place instead in Brussels.
Indeed, Mr Ahern recently announced that the two meetings of the European Council during the Irish presidency will be taking place in Brussels. As we have seen, then, rising to the challenges which Ireland's presidency will bring in the new year is clearly no mean feat.
Planning the job requires extraordinary logistical and project management skills and involves a wide variety of people with different backgrounds, languages, expertise and skills.
Through communication, consultation, and advance planning, Ireland's civil service and its partners will be working round-the-clock to ensure the Irish presidency of the EU runs as smoothly - and as efficiently - as possible.
www.europa.eu.int
www.irlgov.ie
www.irlgov.ie/iveagh
www.euireland.ie
