EU: Originally it was to be a sunny day out for Europe's political leaders at the Acropolis. A suitably historic location was chosen for the historic signing ceremony, opening the way for next year's accession of nine new EU members and the Union's long-awaited eastward expansion.
But that was before the US- inspired invasion of Iraq emerged to show this coming together of the two sides of the old European divide did not necessarily signify a new unity of purpose.
Last month's European Council in Brussels was to discuss progress on a draft new European treaty being drawn up at the Convention on the Future of Europe. However, this issue - involving a discussion with the Convention's President Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - was pushed off the agenda by the urgent need to find common ground on Iraq.
So today, before the ceremonies, flag raisings, signatures and speeches at the Acropolis, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, will join other European heads of state and government in a lengthy session with the former French president, who has been mandated to produce the Convention's final report by June.
Iraq will not be far away, however. Tomorrow morning they will reconvene to meet the UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan, and discuss the "leading role" they believe the UN should take in post-conflict Iraq, and also the "road map" plan for the Middle East - the latest peace initiative for that region.
For Ireland, important issues concerning the future institutional structures of the Union will be on the agenda this morning. While the Convention was initially seen by many in the Government as little more than a talking shop, it has grown into a heavyweight body whose report will have considerable influence.
Unpalatable changes could be negotiated away again once the Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) on a new EU treaty starts work in the autumn. However, all governments are striving to ensure the Convention's report - the starting point for the IGC talks - is as close to their desired outcome as possible.
The Government has forged alliances with other smaller states on the issues it sees as most important. This morning ministers from many of these states will meet first to discuss their approach to the later talks with Mr Giscard d'Estaing.
These states oppose a number of "big state" proposals. In yesterday's Financial Times, for example, Britain's European Affairs Minister, Mr Peter Hain, strongly attacked the EU's rotating presidency system, where each member-state holds the EU presidency in rotation for a six-month period.
The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, said yesterday other large states supported this view, but that he would be "setting out a position diametrically opposed to Mr Hain's" at today's meeting.
Ireland and other smaller states will also oppose suggestions that the European Commission should be reduced in size, and that the smaller states should "take turns" to be represented. If the Commission size is to be limited, says Mr Roche, all countries, large and small, should take their turn to be left out.
On the proposed new EU foreign minister, the Government is proposing a number of deputies or alternates to guard against disproportionate large-state control.
Ireland produced the initial draft of a paper submitted by small- and medium-sized states to the Convention just last week making proposals about the Union's institutional structures. "It has the support of 18 states," said Mr Roche, "more than any other set of proposals." This morning the small- and medium-sized states have an opportunity to make their case on these issues.
Whatever the Convention report says in June, they will undoubtedly find themselves making it again when the hard political negotiations begin in the IGC in the autumn. Ireland will have the major opportunity and challenge of chairing the IGC when the Irish EU presidency - which the Government is determined should not be its last - begins on January 1st, 2004.