WE probably won't get a Treaty of Dublin but we are, for what it is worth, hosting two summits. Our EU presidency starts with a bang - fireworks in Temple Bar - on Monday and the arrival of all 20 EU commissioners in the capital. Work begins in earnest on Tuesday with a huge series of meetings in Dublin Castle.
The Taoiseach, John Bruton, will be discussing the Intergovernmental Conference with EU President Jacques Santer and the two will later be joined by the Tanaiste, Dick Spring, and Marcelino Oreja. Ruairi Quinn, Hugh Coveney and Enda Kenny will be facing Erkki Liikanen, Mano Monti, Monika WulfMathies and Anita Gradin to discuss economics and finance.
Prionsias De Rossa, Mervyn Taylor, Eithne Fitzgerald and Michael Noonan will be meeting one Pee Flynn on social affairs and employment. Niamh Bhreathnach and Pat Rabbitte will meet Edith Cresson and Emma Bonino on education and training. Dick Spring, Gay Mitchell and Joan Burton will discuss foreign affairs with Leon Brittan, Manuel Marin, Hans van den Broek, Joao de Dens Pinheiro and Oreja. Michael Lowry, Emmett Stagg, Richard Bruton, Toddy O'Sullivan and Sean Barrett will line up before Christos Papoutsis, Neil Kianock and Martin Bangemann to discuss industry. Brendan Howlin will meet Ritt Bjerregaard on the environment, Ivan Yates meets Franz Fischler on agriculture, Michael D Higgins discusses culture with Oreja, Sean Barrett meets Emma Bonino on fish and Nora Owen meets Anita Grad in on justice issues.
Thus, nobody gets left out, all subjects are covered and, probably, much work is accomplished. The commissioners who leave on Tuesday will be ferried around town, not by limo but by coach and will actually walk from the Castle to Temple Bar.
And why no Treaty of Dublin as expected? Well everything is taking longer than usual - the work on reshaping the union was analysed in Italy and we will produce a draft. Unless we work extra hard and make much progress the final document with fall again with the Dutch and next year we'll have the Treaty of Amsterdam.