The Government's command of the European Union Presidency in early 2004 could mark the last time the Republic of Ireland will lead the European Union alone, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen has indicated.
Addressing the Oireachtas' European Affairs Committee yesterday, Mr Cowen said the enlargement of the EU into Central and Eastern Europe, along with Cyprus and Malta, would sharply alter the rules.
Instead of running individual Presidencies, he said it was possible that up to six member states could come together to agree a three-year plan, rather than the stop-start six month agendas of today, said Mr Cowen.
Speaking in Leinster House, Mr Cowen said: "We have to deal with all of this and come up with pragmatic solutions. I don't see any logic of throwing out the baby with the bathwater." In line with new rules in the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Minister briefed the committee about the agenda for next Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
"We have got to make sure that we keep all of these matters in context, and recognise where our interests lie: in effective institutions, that make decisions protecting the single market and common policies that improve the lot of our citizens: in effective institutions, that make decisions protecting the single market and common policies that improve the lot of our citizens "You can't have a situation or at least you should not have a situation where different Presidencies bring forward their own individual priorities for their six months, which are not followed up by those following.
Hinting at changes, he went on: "If you enlarge the Union to 25 countries, and if you want the present rotational arrangement to continue that will mean that Ireland will have the Presidency every 12½ years," he declared.
The EU Presidency workload is extraordinary 'even compared to the one which existed in 1996 when we last had the Presidency'. "There is a huge agenda going on here," he told Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Pat Carey.
In reply to a question from the Committee chairman, Fine Gael TD, Mr Gay Mitchell about Iraq, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said: "Iraq must be just on their compliance, not on their rhetoric." The Saddam Hussein regime has been 'offered a rigorous and fair way towards meeting its disarmament obligations'. "There can be no doubt that Iraq must now co-operate fully with arms inspectors." Despite the United States' declared preparedness to attack Iraq alone, or in coalition, Mr Cowen said Iraq's compliance, or non-compliance will have to come back to the Security Council.
"The characterisation that this allows for a trigger mechanism is not correct. The terms of the resolution make it very clear that the assessment about whether there is a breach, or not is a matter for the Security Council," he told Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Séamus Kirk.
During next week's meeting in Brussels, the EU foreign ministers will discuss the latest enlargement issues with colleagues from candidate countries. "We want to explore with them how to resolve the issues that are outstanding in the negotiations.
"Although the margin for negotiation of the financial package is limited, the Government considers it important that the EU does not adopt a take it, or leave it approach. There is room to consider reasonable requests from the acceding countries." Mr Pat Carey, one of the Oireachtas' representatives to the Convention on the Future of Europe, expressed doubts about the development of organic links between the EU and NATO.
"There is a danger that the definition of the Petersberg tasks might be blurred and there might be an increasing position whereby those with EU/NATO membership might come to dominate," Mr Carey told Mr Cowen.
