THE FIRST EU commissioners to pay official visits to Ireland since the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty referendum are due in Dublin this week.
Commissioner Viviane Reding, who is responsible for information technology (IT) and telecommunications, speaks at a conference organised by Comreg on Wednesday, while the consumer affairs commissioner Meglena Kuneva visits on Thursday and Friday.
Both commissioners hold “consumer-friendly” posts – Ms Reding has just proposed new rules to cut the cost of texts from overseas and Ms Kuneva is due to introduce regulations making it easier for shoppers to buy goods on the internet.
However commission sources have denied that the visits represent an attempt to “love-bomb” Ireland following the No vote last June.
“It happens that we have two this week but nothing is scheduled until early next year when there may [or not] be some,” one source said. “There’s certainly a push from [EU Commission president Manuel] Barroso to get them all out to all the member states and ‘sing for your supper’.”
The EU Commission office in Dublin said the visits were scheduled “a long time ago”.
Both women were keen to “get out of Brussels and talk to non-insiders”.
Ms Reding, who is pressing member states to ensure citizens have universal broadband access by 2010, is also due to meet Minister for Communications Éamon Ryan before leaving Dublin.
Ms Kuneva, who has responsibility for areas such as product safety, air passengers’ rights and e-commerce, is due to meet Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise and Employment Mary Coughlan on Thursday.
The following day, she takes part in a discussion forum with representatives of consumer bodies.