A trip arranged for 22 Government advisers to Brussels for briefings from top officials before Ireland takes on the European Union presidency had to be cancelled last month, after nearly all of the ministerial aides pulled out due to the fuel protests.
Internal documents show the wheels came off a planned two-day visit bringing the group of advisers around the EU institutions, as the Government scrambled to quell protests blocking key motorways and roads.
The trip was arranged and paid for by the European Commission’s office in Ireland, to help prepare Government advisers for the upcoming EU presidency.
“The objective of the visit is to gain a good overview of how things work in Brussels and to enable participants to develop their networks,” Peter Power, the head of EU executive’s Irish office wrote in a letter to Ministers.
“Participants will have the opportunity to meet with senior interlocutors in the European Commission, Council and European Parliament,” the January 22nd letter said.
Ireland will assume the rotating presidency of the council of the European Union for the second half of this year in July. The council represents the 27 national governments in the Brussels system, and country holding the presidency is responsible for chairing policy debates and negotiating compromises.
Ministerial advisers were due to be briefed by several of commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s team, and other senior officials and diplomats working across the EU institutions. The group of Irish advisers were to travel to Brussels on April 13th and return to Dublin on April 15th.
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Escalating protests over the steep cost of fuel, which blocked roads and key infrastructure, forced several advisers to pull out of the planned trip, as the Government pulled together a €750 million fuel support package the weekend beforehand.
“Unfortunately, due to the current situation with the fuel protests, we have had a number of advisers drop out today. Fingers crossed that there will be a speedy resolution,” a commission official flagged to Brussels-based Irish diplomats in an April 10th email.
Internal emails show the commission’s Irish office was later forced to scrap the trip entirely, the day advisers were due to jet out.
“We have just taken the decision to cancel the visit to Brussels. 18 of 22 participants were no longer available to participate due to the current political situation,” an EU official wrote in an April 13th email, released under the Freedom of Information Act.
“Obviously it couldn’t be helped but I am really so sorry to hear this … It’s such a pity,” a senior Irish diplomat said in response.
A spokesman for the commission said there were no plans to reschedule the trip given there was only a few weeks before the start of Ireland’s EU presidency.