Irish put on airs and graces

Date: 25/07/1996

The Irish have an excellent track record for running what we loosely describe as the EU presidency, but a few eyebrows have been raised by the nation's claim to be the “presidency of the European Union”.

The promotion appears on the latest batch of Irish headed notepaper heralding Dublin's current occupancy of the hot seat.

The loudest protests, not surprisingly, have come from the European Parliament.

In a testily written question to the Council of Ministers, David Martin (vice-president, but only of the Parliament, not of the Union) points out that the latter job does not in fact exist - at least not yet - and wants to know what the Irish think they are doing giving themselves such airs and graces.

And lest anyone should accuse Martin of making a mountain out of a molehill, he asks what EU governments would think if Klaus Hänsch suddenly started giving himself the title of president of the European Union instead of just the Parliament.

The presidency of the Council of Ministers (also known as the government of the Irish Republic, but not of the Union), is expected to offer its thoughts on appellations and their usage within a few weeks.

If Ireland is looking for support for its claims to world domination, it need look no further than Paris - France also dubbed itself president of the Union during its last stint in charge.