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

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Finance The Department of Finance played a crucial role in the development of Ireland’s European policy and in the negotiation of Irish accession to the European Economic Community in 1973. Its role remained important after accession although Foreign Affairs was given the co-ordinating brief for EU business. In 1972 the department had one section that dealt with all EU matters. However, EU policies began to permeate too many areas of domestic policy for that position to persist. The department’s role in EU business increased significantly from the mid-1980s with the single market programme, EU structural and cohesion funds, taxation and Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) to the extent that the Department of Finance could now be said to have an interest in everything European for its role as the controller of the public finances gives it a central role in EU affairs. It is the standard practice that EU proposals with financial implications for the Exchequer must be cleared with the Department of Finance before being approved. From the perspective of the Department of Finance, in the 1980s and 1990s, the EU was a welcome source of funds. It also helped establish a policy environment in relation to budgetary expenditure, state aids, and taxation that contributed to Ireland’s improved economic performance. Participation in the Community Support Framework in particular helped instil an evaluation culture within the Department. The policy formulation methodology of the National Plans continues to be used in domestic policy formulation and co-ordination. Participation in the EU is cited in the Department’s Strategy Statement as its third strategic priority (one of five) with specific objectives in relation to six areas of EU business: ♦ Contribution to the formulation of Ireland’s EU policy ♦ Effective representation of the Irish position at the ECOFIN and Budget Councils ♦ Effective administration of EU Structural and Cohesion Fund receipts ♦ Optimum benefits from EU/EMU membership ♦ A successful changeover to the Euro ♦ A competitive financial services sector (Department of Finance, 2001, 5). The department interacts with the EU arena via the ECOFIN Council, its preparatory bodies, the Economic and Finance Committee (formerly the Monetary Committee), the Economic Policy Committee, the Eurogroup (12 member states), the European
Central Bank, the Budget Council, other Council working parties dealing in particular with financial regulation, COREPER and bilateral dealings with the Commission. There is an ECOFIN Council every month and a Budget Council at least twice a year. These meetings include evaluations of national economic policy and performance within the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines and Stability Pact policy mechanisms. The Department also has extensive bilateral contact with the Commission through its central role in the management of the Community Support Framework in Ireland. The Department plays a major role in negotiations on taxation, where the Department of Foreign Affairs’ involvement was minimal. The two Divisions centrally involved in EU business are the Budget and Economic Division (BED) and the Banking, Finance and International Services Division (BFID) (see figure 6). The BED deals with overall budgetary policy, economic policy and forecasting, the International Financial Services Centre and servicing EU committees on tax policy and budgetary and economic co-operation under EMU. BFID deals with banking policy and financial regulation at domestic and EU level, the Euro changeover and EU exchange rate policy. This division also handles monitoring and evaluation of the National Development Plan and Community Support Framework, the European Regional Development and Cohesion Funds, regional policy, debt management policy, the EU budget and other international financial institutions. Within the Department, sections have autonomy and responsibility for policy in respect of issues under their aegis and pull together when going to ECOFIN.
Page 1 and 2: Managing Europe From Home: The Euro
Page 3 and 4: Among practitioners and academics,
Page 5 and 6: the executive of conflicts between
Page 7 and 8: analyses the Irish core executive
Page 9 and 10: 2002 appointed a Minister of State
Page 11 and 12: Arts, Sport & Tourism Health & Chil
Page 13 and 14: played a key role in the detailed d
Page 15 and 16: encourage mobility across departmen
Page 17 and 18: attention in the Irish service. In
Page 19 and 20: Ireland’s approach to the managem
Page 21 and 22: as the Department of Finance was th
Page 23 and 24: The preparations for the 1975 Presi
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Page 27 and 28: membership of the European Affairs
Page 29 and 30: Figure 2: Levels of management of E
Page 31 and 32: Table 1: Ministerial involvement in
Page 33 and 34: VERTICAL STRUCTURES - THE CORE-CORE
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Page 73 and 74: Table 5: EU Committees in the Irish
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Page 87 and 88: SECTION IV - THE AGENTS Participati
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will be an accessible database of t
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The above characteristics influence
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Department of the Environment and L
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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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