Managing Europe From Home: The Europeanisation of the Irish ...

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in 2002 (Interview 48, 12.02.02). In spite of this significant increase in staffing as a whole, the infrastructure established to deal directly with EU matters within the Department of the Taoiseach was and continues to be small in scale (Interview 48, l2.02.02). In 1982, the then Taoiseach Charles Haughey established an International Affairs Division to deal with Northern Ireland and the EU. This division was expanded to include all international and EU matters. In 1999 its staff numbered five, including the head of unit. Following a reorganisation of the Department in July 2001 (see figure 3), a position of Second Secretary was established with overall responsibility for Northern Ireland and EU and International Affairs. This is a significant development as it marked recognition of the need for steering in these specific policy areas at the highest level in the Department. The EU and International Affairs Division’s staff now includes one head of unit (Assistant Secretary) along with two principal officers, two assistant principals and two administrative officers (total of seven, however three of these staff deal mainly with international affairs as opposed to European matters). 20 The department does not have any staff in the Permanent Representation in Brussels. The European and International Affairs Division supports the Taoiseach in his role as the Head of Government of a European Union member state and in the wider field of international relations. The division co-ordinates and contributes to the development of Ireland’s policies on issues of European and international concern. In conjunction with other government departments, the division monitors emerging European policy positions and the policy approaches from the various government departments and other state bodies. One of the division’s primary functions is to ensure that the Taoiseach is fully briefed on key developments at European and International level and that Ireland’s interests are actively pursued. These briefings are received from all departments, in particular the Department of Foreign Affairs, and collated by the division. The division also services a number of interdepartmental committees such as the Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee on European Union Affairs (informally known as the Roche Committee as it is chaired by Minister of State for European Affairs, Dick Roche). Its immediate precursor was the Senior Officials Group (which was chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the EU and International Division). Other interdepartmental 20 In 2002 a Lisbon Agenda Unit was also established with three staff: a Principal Officer, Assistant Principal and Administrative Officer.
committees serviced by the Unit include the Lisbon Group and the Convention Overview Group. The Unit also services the Cabinet Sub-Committee on European Affairs. The division coordinates the logistical arrangements for the Taoiseach’s diary of European and international engagements, including engagements held in Ireland with visiting Heads of Government. 21 The rhythm of European Council meetings serves as an organizing pole for work carried out in the Taoiseach’s Department and the European and International Affairs Division’s engagement with successive Taoisigh is dictated by events. Engagements with the Taoiseach relating to EU matters, therefore, may or may not occur on a daily basis. As a rule, the Taoiseach is accompanied to European Council Summits by senior ministers and civil servants, including the Permanent Representative in the Brussels Representation centre (though not necessarily Secretaries General of national departments). Along with officials and relevant ministers (including a Minister for European Affairs if appointed in the life of the Parliament), a Senior Political Advisor would generally accompany the Taoiseach to summits to be on hand in case political firefighting must be countered. In summary, the role of the Department of the Toaiseach has expanded in relation to the management of EU business since the 1980s for a number of reasons. First, the intensification of the European Council has internationalised the role of all European Prime Ministers. Formal Council meetings and bilaterals with counterparts is intrinsic to contemporary governance. Second, as EU’s policy remit expanded from the Single Act onwards, the Taoiseach’s Department became more involved in managing the determination of Irish interests and the projection of interests into the EU system. In the post-Nice period, the Taoiseach faces an important domestic challenge of communicating Europe. The core role of the department in relation to EU business was described by one of its officials in the following terms: The core role of the Department of An Taoiseach is to provide a strategic direction on Europe, to create a strategic focus (Interview 48, 12.02.02). In addition, the department can be brought into any set of negotiations if they become problematic or in the event of deep-rooted interdepartmental conflict. The way in which the Taoiseach’s Department exercises its role is determined by its 21 Department of the Taoiseach, Strategy Statement to 31 December 2003.
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Commission proposals on the introdu
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SECTION IV - THE AGENTS Participati
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margin and should use that margin w
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The above characteristics influence
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O’Donnell, Rory. Ed. 2000. Europe
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Appendix 1 Table 6: Attendance by M
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Bar Chart 2: Infringement Proceedin
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