EU presidency: Ireland's presidency of the EU for the first six months of next year is to cost taxpayers almost €50 million next year, the Estimates show.
The largest amount, inevitably, goes to the Department of Foreign Affairs, which receives €25 million. Officials said this included €7 million in salaries for 140 extra staff, most of whom were being redeployed from other Departments. Additional travel and subsistence costs amounted to €3.25 million; posts and telecommunications were €3 million; office machinery and supplies, about €3.25 million; extra office accommodation in Dublin and Brussels, €3.25 million; construction and management of the presidency website, €1.5 million. Two European summits in Brussels would cost Ireland €3.5 million (coming from different Departments) in payments to the European Council secretariat.
Presidency allocations for other departments: Taoiseach, €1.015 million; Finance, €1.71 million; Justice, Equality and Law Reform, €3.129 million; Environment, €1.693 million;Communications, €1.6 million; Agriculture, €1.013 million; Enterprise, €2.07 million; Arts, €4.2 million. A sum of €8.473 million is allocated to the Garda Síochána.
There is likely to be considerable interest in the €3.9 million provided to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism "in respect of the organisation of the culture programme that will surround the presidency".
According to the Department, "The Irish presidency will be unique in that the 10 accession countries will formally join the union on May 1st, and it is intended to mark this event across Ireland in a very special way. It is also the intention to use the period of the presidency to forge new cultural links with the accession countries."