The Government will shortly announce how it plans to transport hundreds of European dignitaries around the State when Ireland assumes the EU presidency in January.
With only four weeks until the end of the year, planners in the Department of Foreign Affairs are busy negotiating a deal that will see hundreds of top-of-the range, chauffeur-driven cars on the State's roads for the six months of the term.
The deal will no doubt be a costly one, but the Department of Foreign Affairs has been allocated €25 million in the Book of Estimates to pay for it, and other arrangements necessary for the presidency.
In September, the department said it hoped to finalise a deal for the supply of the cars in a number of weeks. However, more than two months later a deal is yet to be signed. A department spokeswoman said details of the transport arrangements would be announced "very soon", but added: "I cannot talk about the details of the negotiations because of their commercially-sensitive nature."
Motors understands a number of options are being considered - hiring, purchase or some sort of sponsorship deal with one particular car maker. Mercedes would be an obvious choice, as the company already supplies the bulk of the ministerial car fleet.
The Government has spent €125,970.80 on purchasing new cars this year, and is set to replace nine more cars at a cost of about €550,000.
Approximately 200 meetings will take place in the Republic during the presidency, attracting thousands of visitors. About 50 per cent more meetings will be held in 2004 than were held in 1996, when Ireland last hosted the presidency. But questions have to be asked about Ireland's infrastructure in hosting such a major event.
In 1996, a well-known Dublin-based car-hire firm was employed to supply cars for transportation needs. Many hundreds of cars were used to form a sizeable fleet then, which comprised Mercedes E-Classes, Volkswagen and Renault "people carriers", Opel Omegas and Ford Mondeos.
Meanwhile, motorists can look forward to "a number of Garda operations that will be put in place" in the first six months of 2004. The long-suffering Dublin motorist will be hit particularly badly. A Garda spokeswoman said details of the arrangements "are not available as yet. They will be announced closer to the date."
