Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

Ireland will assume the Presidency of the European Union during the first six months of 2013. The Government has placed emphasis on its goal of enhancing Ireland's reputation in Europe and more widely, and of thorough engagement with the Union's agenda; the 2013 Presidency falls perfectly within this and can be a mobilising element in that process. Preparations for Ireland's Presidency during the first six months of 2013 have been under way since 2010. Planning is being co-ordinated by two interdepartmental groups which are chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; one group is focusing on policy preparations and the second group is working on logistics planning. I will chair the next meeting of the first group, the policy interdepartmental group tomorrow morning with officials from all Departments.

A Presidency programme is built to a large extent on proposals and policies already under consideration in the Union. We will therefore pay close attention to the plans and work of the new Polish Presidency and the Danish and Cypriot presidencies in 2012, as well as to the Commission's work programme for 2012. Departments are currently identifying areas of work that are likely to figure prominently on the EU agenda during the Presidency and those which we could seek to prioritise. Discussions at a political level between Ministers, our partners and the EU institutions are taking place in parallel with this process

A non-exhaustive list of issues that are likely to figure prominently on Ireland's Presidency agenda include the next multi-annual financial framework, and reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy, as well as more broadly the economic and financial situation, employment creation and promotion of European competitiveness. These are all policy areas of broad importance to the EU and member states, including this country, and we look forward to working closely with partners to progress these issues.

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