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  On 1 July Belgium assumed the presidency of the EU, taking over from Spain. For six months, the main task of the country which holds the presidency is to organise and manage the work of the Council of the European Union where the member states are represented.
  The Spanish Presidency coincided with the beginning of a new phase for the EU, with a renewed Parliament and Commission and a new treaty in effect since 1 December. With this outlook, Spain, Belgium and Hungary have drawn up a work programme for the 18-month period (January 2010 to July 2011) during which they will hold the Presidency in succession, according to the new regulations which apply in Europe.
  It will be the first ‘trio’ of presidencies to be formalised and perform its functions in accordance with the Treaty of Lisbon. The aim of this new procedure is to provide the work and initiatives of the EU with more continuity.

Press Release

EU Committee plans Treaty tour

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs is planning to tour the country to trigger public debate on the Lisbon Treaty which will be formally signed in Brussels today (Thursday) by EU Heads of State and Government.

This was announced at a news conference in Leinster House by Bernard Durkan, T.D., who was elected as Chairman of the Committee last month. The Committee’s membership is drawn from both Houses of the Oireachtas and acts as their watchdog on EU developments.

The new EU Treaty was agreed by EU leaders meeting in Lisbon last month. It will have to be ratified by all 27 Member States before coming into force in January 2009. With the exception of Ireland, which will hold a referendum on the Treaty, all other Member States will ratify by parliamentary vote.

Said Deputy Durkan: “The purpose of our initiative is to stimulate awareness among the general public of the Treaty and its contents. We want to give as many people as possible an opportunity to debate the issues and to by fully up-to-speed on its detail before they are asked to vote.”

“This is primarily an informational exercise since, as an all-Party Committee drawn from both the Dáil and Seanad, our role is not to seek to promote a particular point of view or to influence the vote. However, we have considerable knowledge and expertise in EU affairs within our membership and we feel it will be helpful to put that at the disposal of the general public in all parts of the country”.

The Committee will initially hold its meetings in a range of centers throughout the country. Featured speakers will be members of the Committee as well as invited experts. All meetings will be open to the public and widely publicised, and members of the audience will be able to put questions or points of view to the panel. The aim will be to have all shades of opinion represented.

The Committee is giving priority in its work to the Treaty between now and the referendum. It will publish an interim report on the Treaty early in the New Year.Views expressed at its public meetings around the country will be evaluated and fed into its own debates. The Committee will eventually issue a formal opinion on the Treaty which will be presented to the Oireachtas and the Government. It will also provide information on the Treaty via its website and invite the public to take part in an on-line debate in the coming months.

Deputy Durkan added: “We see this tour as a two-pronged exercise in democracy. On the one hand it will hopefully kick off a lively debate on an issue which is of crucial importance both for Ireland and for the future of Europe as a whole; on the other, we are taking part of the Oireachtas out of Leinster House and giving people throughout the country the opportunity not only to observe but to participate in the political process in a very direct way.”

For further information please contact Public Relations Office, Houses of the Oireachtas:
618 3066/3166

Members of the Committee

Deputies:		Senators:
Barry Andrews	(FF)	Déirdre de Búrca	(GP)
Pat Breen	(FG)	Paschal Donohoe	(FG)
Joe Costello	(Lab)	John Hanafin	(FF)
Lucinda Creighton	(FG)	Terry Leyden	(FF)
Timmy Dooley	(FF) Vice-Chairman	Phil Prendergast	(Lab)
Bernard Durkan	(FG) Chairman	Feargal Quinn	(Ind)
Michael McGrath	(FF)
Michael Mulcahy	(FF)
Mary O’Rourke	(FF)
Billy Timmins	(FG)
Noel Treacy	(FF)