Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his role with regard to Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. [45664/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I have a broad range of responsibilities for Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the European Union. In identifying the main priorities of the Presidency, the Taoiseach and I have asked all members of the Government to use the Presidency to focus on the jobs and growth agenda across all policy formations. Tackling unemployment, and particularly youth unemployment, and creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth, will be the core priorities of the Irish Presidency. The General Affairs Council, which I will chair, deals with a broad range of cross-cutting issues including the EU’s future financing. During the Presidency I will work to deliver on a complex EU budgetary process. My aim is to ensure that the Union supports a range of programmes and initiatives that can underpin economic recovery, growth and job creation, and promote greater social inclusion and regional cohesion. The future enlargement of the EU will also figure prominently on the General Affairs Council agenda during the Presidency. EU enlargement is good for European stability and peace and, as Chairperson, I will work to make progress in this area.

To stimulate job creation and growth across the EU, the Irish Presidency has already identified key policy areas aimed at making sure that the Single Market, which has delivered so many benefits for consumers and business over the past two decades, is better equipped to deal with the rapidly evolving digital economy. Our Presidency will also place a strong emphasis on promoting greater coordination of, and support for, the Union’s research and innovation agenda, to ensure that the EU can become more globally competitive. But Europe also needs to look beyond its own borders to facilitate more exports which can sustain and create employment and economic growth. This is why Ireland, as Presidency, is placing a strong emphasis on moving the EU external trade agenda forward. A meeting of Trade focusing on the on the EU-US trade relationship will take place in April 2013. We hope to deliver a mandate for EU-US trade talks.

The Irish Presidency will support the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the European External Action Service in promoting the Union’s values of peace, democracy and respect for human rights abroad. These values were explicitly recognised in the awarding of the Nobel Prize to the EU. Much of the Foreign Affairs Council agenda will be taken up with responding to current events, but issues such as the ongoing crisis in Syria, and the Middle East Peace Process are likely to feature prominently on the Council agenda during the Presidency. Ireland places a very strong attachment to development aid, and this is why, as Presidency, we will host a number of events in Dublin including an informal Ministerial meeting and an international conference in Dublin, bringing together the themes of hunger, nutrition and climate justice, working in close cooperation with Mary Robinson Foundation. During our Presidency we will work to advance agreement with partners on the EU approach to the post-2015 framework for international development as we look beyond the 2000 Millennium Development Goals.

Work on preparing for the Presidency is now entering its final weeks. While the agenda is considerable, we look forward to meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities that the Presidency presents to create a better Europe for citizens in Ireland and across Europe.

I will continue to have meetings with partners from other Member States and the institutions. During this month we are hosting visits from several high-level groups and Committees from the European Parliament to discuss our approach to the Presidency and to build on the already constructive working relations that we have with MEPs.