In the final part of Business 2000's series on the Republic's Presidency of the EU, John Downes analyses the structures in place to deal with European Union enlargement this May
The voices and opinions of the social partners, the accession countries, and the Government itself will influence policy formation during the Irish presidency. So what specific challenges do these often competing interests present?
Mr Alan Dukes is director general of the Institute of European Affairs in Dublin (IEA), a self-governing body founded in 1991 to study Irish policy on European integration. He believes EU structures and institutions are designed to cope with the different viewpoints of those involved.
Areas of common policy are formulated in the individual treaties that form the "bedrock" of the EU, he says. Following this, the European Commission holds detailed internal debates, involving each member-state, which gauge the various reactions with a view to working these into a specific proposal or set of proposals.
These then go to the European Parliament, where public debate begins.
"There is also very much a partnership between the Commission and the Presidency," says the former Fine Gael leader. "Most of the Presidency's work is actually continuing what is there already.
"For example, if the Lisbon Agenda had been barrelling ahead on full-steam, it would not be as high on the [Irish Presidency's\] agenda. But there has been a lot of controversy about how it has been proceeding."
Each member-state can add its own "flavour" to the Presidency, however. The aim of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, to highlight African issues is an example of this. Nevertheless, the addition of 10 countries during the Presidency will test the EU's ability to accommodate new voices, says Mr Dukes.
One way in which this might be achieved is through agreement on an EU Constitution, which would outline the EU's fundamental principles and set out those areas in which the EU would and would not determine policy. But this has given rise to concerns, most noticeably raised by Commission President Mr Romano Prodi, that failure to agree on just such a treaty might lead to the creation of a "two-speed Europe", with some countries integrating at a quicker pace than others.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has come out strongly against such an outcome but it threatens to overshadow the Irish Presidency.
Areas of particular concern to some include the weighting of votes of member-states in the European Council, the question of tax harmonisation, and the development of a common defence and security policy.
Mr Dukes believes a Constitution would help the EU to reaffirm its objectives. He thinks this is important following enlargement.
During this series, Business 2000 has focused on key issues that will be addressed during the next six months. Clearly, at the outset of our Presidency, much remains to be achieved.
But the clearest indication of success will come from how well the Government succeeds in balancing the widely varying interests of all those involved, with its own stated objective of implementing the agenda it has set itself.
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