The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, today outlined a number of key challenges facing the Government during next year's hosting of the EU presidency.
On top of the Government's agenda is ensuring the smooth accession of the ten new member States into the Union, and co-ordinating this within a reduced parliamentary timeframe.
"Managing Council agendas and keeping the normal day to day functioning of the Council running smoothly will be crucial," Mr Cowen said.
"The European elections in June 2004 mean that effective business in the parliament will be concluded by April. This will impact on our Presidency work programme, with work being telescoped," he cautioned.
"I am confident that the level of our preparations is such that we will be ready to deal with any eventualities," Mr Cowen added.
The minister went on to summarise a number of key issues facing the Ireland's presidency during the six months from January 1st next.
These issues will be addressed at over 100 meetings in counties Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Wicklow, Kildare, Offaly, Galway, Donegal and Clare.
Among the broader issues to be dealt with are EU enlargement, the Lisbon agenda of social, economic and environmental reform, external EU affairs and political agreement on a new Constitutional Treaty, the latter of which may involve the convening of an Intergovernmental Conference.
It is unclear whether the work of the Intergovernmental conference, which convenes in Rome next month, will be complete before the end of the year, Mr Cowen indicated.
Should work in that forum continue into next year, it would add increasingly to the burden placed on Ireland's EU administration, as it is accepted that agreement on a new Constitutional Treaty must be made known to EU citizens before the June 2004 elections.
Mr Cowen also flagged as significant the 2004 Spring European Council, which is set to address the impact of the ongoing Lisbon strategy.
"The most effective way to achieve clear progress with regard to Lisbon is to prepare a focused agenda for our Presidency that will secure agreement on concrete deliverables," he indicated.
Top of the EU external agenda during Ireland's presidency will invariably be the Middle East peace process, with the Minister renewing his pledge that "the highest priority must be given to a renewal of the ceasefire".
It was also announced that the Taoiseach will lead the EU at the EU-US Summit and four others that occur during the Presidency, at the Latin-America, Russia, Canada and Japan.