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Laura
Ruby Nealon, 4, attending a ceremony at Dublin Castle yesterday to mark Ireland's EU presidency, and the 40th anniversary of Ireland joining the EEC.
# Your Say
Poll: Does Ireland's EU presidency matter to you?
Ireland formally begins its six-month stint leading the Council of the EU today. How do you feel about it?
THE TURN of the year means changes in the administrative working of the European Union – with Ireland taking over at the helm of the Council of the European Union.
The six-month presidency will see Irish ministers taking the chair in meetings of their EU counterparts, and will see a number of summits held in Ireland.
Ireland hopes to use its term to focus on the issues of youth unemployment and economic revival, and to fight for a revised deal on its banking debts.
However, in the post-Lisbon era, the Presidency is a little less important – because the most important ministerial meetings, like the summits of EU heads of government and of Eurozone finance ministers, now have permanent chairpersons anyway.
So, as we begin our 181 days leading the Council, we’re asking: Does Ireland’s EU presidency matter to you?
Poll Results:
No - Not at all (1330)
I don't know (1110)
A little bit (476)
Yes - a lot (194)
Read: EU flag raised above Dublin Castle
