“Go n-éirí an bóthar leat is do chosán cóngair.” “May your journey, long or short be a success”.

COREPER I Visit to Dublin 11 – 12 April 2013

Introduction

Baile Átha Cliath, or Dublin, is the capital and most populous city of Ireland. The city is situated at the mouth of the River Lif-fey, the river which divides the city into North and South. Often mistakenly considered a Viking City, Dublin was in fact a thriving trading town long before their arrival, though there is no denying the huge influence that this period had on the city. It was after the Norman invasion in 1169 that Dublin became the principal city of the island and at one point the fifth largest in Europe Today Dublin is one of the world’s smaller capitals, but what it lacks in terms of population it makes up for in atmosphere, mul-ticulturalism and the famous welcoming nature of the Dublin na-tives. Dublin has many landmarks and monuments dating back hun-dreds of years. One of the oldest is Dublin Castle, which was first founded as a major defensive work on the orders of King John of England in 1204, shortly after the Norman invasion.

Another remnant of Norman Ireland are the current government build-ings, formerly the residence of the Earl of Kildare, and designed by the renowned architect Richard Cas-sels.

The City’s Motto: “Obedientia Civium Urbis Felicitas”

“The citizens' obedience is the city's happiness”

Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the President of Ireland Mícheál D. Ó hUiginn, is a majestic building located in the Phoenix Park, which is one of Europe’s most beautiful city parks.

Áras an Uachtaráin

On 1 May 2004, during Ireland's last Presidency of the Council of the Euro-pean Union, Áras an Uachtarain was the venue for the European Day of Welcomes, Accession Day ,

on which ten new member states joined the EU. The 25 heads of government, of the then 25 member state institution, at-tended the flag raising ceremony in the gardens of the Áras to welcome the newest members into the community in a show of solidarity and friendship.

Natural Setting

Apart from the River Liffey, which we have already seen domi-nates the city and divides it in two, the city is also bordered to the south by a low mountain range and surrounded by flat farm-land to the north and west. There are also two lesser rivers which run through different ar-eas of the city; the River Tolka running northwest from Dublin Bay, and the River Dodder running southwest from the mouth of the Liffey. Two further water bodies, the Grand Canal on the southside and the Royal Canal on the northside, form a ring around the inner city on their way to the west and the River Shannon.

The City’s unofficial Motto: “When I die, Dublin will be written on my heart.”

James Joyce

Dress Code: Smart Casual 08:00 - 08:45 Brussels Airport Zaventem: check-in 10:05 Brussels Airport Zaventem: departure 10:50 Arrival at Dublin Airport 11:15 Depart Dublin Airport for Digital Hub 11:45 Arrival at Digital Hub 11:50 Presentation - Digital Hub 12:45 Departure for lunch at ELY Brasserie 13:00 Lunch 14:15 Departure for Google 14:30 Arrival and tour - Google 14:50 Roundtable discussion with ICT representatives 15:50 Departure for Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute 16:00 Arrival and presentation at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute 16:45 Departure for Trinity Library 17:00 Tour of Trinity Library 17:30 Departure for hotels 17:45 Arrival at hotels 18:45 Departure for Royal Hospital Kilmainham 19:00 Formal dinner Dress Code: Dark Suit

Thursday, 11 April 2013

Friday, 12 April 2013

Dress Code: Casual

From 06:30 Breakfast at Shelbourne Hotel From 07:15 Breakfast at Alexander Hotel 08:15-09:15 Hotel check-out 09:30 Departure from hotel for Croke Park 09:50 Arrival at Croke Park 09:55 Guided Tour 10:55 Departure for Guinness Storehouse 11:25 Arrival at Guinness Storehouse 11:30 Tour of Guinness Storehouse 13:00 Departure for lunch 13:15 Lunch (Pig’s Ear Restaurant) 15:15 Bus departs for Dublin Airport 16:00 Dublin Airport: check-in 17:50 Dublin Airport: departure 20:25 Arrival at Brussels Airport Zaventem

“It is not the literal past, the 'facts' of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language.”

Brian Friel

Thursday, 11 April

Brussels Our trip will begin at Brussels Airport Zaventem, where we will meet from 08:00 in advance of our Aer Lingus flight at 10:05. You are kindly asked to make your way to the Aer Lingus desks on the Departure Level where we will have a designated desk for check-in, which will take place be-tween 08:15 and 08:45. Luggage tags have been distributed during Coreper on 27 March. These tags should be attached to all luggage in order to facilitate its placement in your hotel room. The flight itself will last for about 1 hour and ten minutes during which a cooked Irish breakfast with tea/coffee will be served. Dublin We will arrive at Dublin airport at about 10:50. You are kindly asked to re-trieve your luggage before meeting at the Presidency Desk in the Arrivals Hall. We will then make our way to the bus for transport into Dublin city centre. Digital Hub Our programme for the day will begin at the Digital Exchange in Dublin’s South Inner city. Upon arrival at the Digital Hub, the group will be wel-comed by Dr Stephen Brennan. Dr Brennan will provide a presentation on the ethos and objectives of the Digital Hub. ELY Brasserie Following our visit to the Digital Hub, we will cross the River Liffey for lunch at ELY bar and brasserie, a 200 year old tobacco and wine ware-house. ELY specialises in the best of Irish seasonal produce, with meat sourced from their family farm in the Burren, Co Clare. Google Headquarters and ICT Roundtable Discussion After lunch, we will travel to the Google campus in the historic docklands area of Dublin. Following a brief tour of the Google building, we will then proceed to a roundtable discussion on how Europe can best maximise the potential of the Digital Single Market.

Trinity Biomedical Institute We will next make our way to the Trinity Biomedical Institute where we will be greeted upon arrival by Professor Luke O’Neill, Academic Direc-tor of the Institute. Professor O’ Neill will provide an outline of his ex-perience of working within the framework of European Research fund-ing. Trinity Library and the Book of Kells We continue our path back to the city centre on foot through the grounds of Trinity College and onto the University’s Old Library which dates back to the 18th Century. Our visit will also include an opportunity to view the world famous Book of Kells. The Alexander and Shelbourne Hotels Our visit to Trinity will conclude at about 17:30 and we will then return on foot to our hotels. The Mertens group will go to the Alexander Hotel and the DPRs will go to the Shelbourne Hotel where they will check-in. Your luggage will be waiting in your room and you will have a free hour to rest and prepare for dinner. Royal Hospital Kilmainham We will meet in the receptions of our respective hotels at 18:45, before leaving on bus for our dinner venue at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. There will be a drinks reception on arrival, after which we will move through to the Great Hall where dinner will be served. After dinner we will have the opportunity to sample some traditional Irish hospitality and we urge you all to join in the “craic”!

The Digital Hub

The Digital Hub is a vibrant cluster of digital content and technology en-terprises, located on a state-of-the-art campus in the heart of Dublin City. Set up by the Irish government in 2003, the Digital Hub is a hothouse for new ideas, energetic entrepreneurs and technological innovation which is inspired by the local community.

Our visit to the Digital Hub will provide the op-portunity to learn about its work in fostering in-novation, technological development and crea-tivity in a supportive, entrepreneurial environ-ment.

There will also be a focus on the Hub’s role in providing training and up-skilling to cater for changing employment demands. The presentation will also consider the particular type of support which is required in the Digi-tal sector and the challenges which this poses for the support of innova-tion in Europe.

Roundtable on the Digital Single Market at Google

Located in the historical dockyards district, Google Dublin employs al-most 3,000 people from over 65 countries and oversees sales and infra-structure for Google businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Google Headquarters in Dublin will provide the location for our discussion on the Digital Single Market in Europe.

Our partners in ICT Ireland have selected key spokespeople from a range of ICT companies to share their views on how Europe can best maximise the potential of the Digital Single Market to drive growth and recovery. Speakers representing the service, manufacturing and industrial sectors will share their views on the key obstacles and opportunities facing com-panies in the European market. Those present will represent a broad range of international and indigenous companies including SAP, Hewlett Packard, Storm Technology, Intel, Fujitsu, and Trilogy Technologies. The discussion, which will be facilitated by Paul Sweetman from ICT Ire-land, will also include the opportunity for questions from the floor.

Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute

The Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) is the largest strategic undertaking made by TCD in it's history and is a key facility for teaching and research in the area of biomedical sciences. TBSI is an environment where innovative and interdisciplinary ap-proaches are leading to scientific discoveries of biomedical importance, ultimately giving rise to better patient care. Recent highlights for TBSI include numerous grants awarded under the FP7 programme, as well as European Research Council grants to Prof Luke O'Neill (School of Bio-chemistry and Immunology) and Prof Danny Kelly (Bioengineering).

Professor Luke O’Neill was appointed to the Chair of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin in 2008, where he leads the Inflam-mation Research Group. He is also Aca-demic Director of the Trinity Biomedical Sci-ences Institute. In 2008 he was appointed Chair of the Immunity and Infection panel of the European Research Council and he is the holder of an ERC Advanced Grant. His research is in the area of the molecular ba-sis to inflammatory diseases.

As a beneficiary of funding from the European Research Council under FP7, Professor O’Neill will share his experience and his thoughts on how European Research funding can best be focused and developed. Pro-fessor O’Neill will also offer his views on the role of Research in driving the jobs and growth in Europe.

Trinity College & The Book of Kells

Founded in 1592, Trinity College Dublin, above, is Ireland’s oldest univer-sity. The College is located in the heart of the city, opposite the former Houses of Parliament situated on College Green.

The Trinity library holds the largest collection of printed material on the island. The Library’s most famous book, The Book of Kells, is an illuminated manuscript dating from the 800’s and is widely re-garded as a masterwork of Western calligraphy, representing the pinnacle of the Insular illumination.

Academically, the university is ranked among the best in the world offer-ing degree and diploma courses at both undergraduate and postgradu-ate levels. Some of the University’s most notable alumni include former Presidents of Ireland, Mary Robinson, and Máire Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; writers Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift and Anne Enright; and possibly the most famous Irish person of all ,Samuel Beckett.

Royal Hospital Kilmainham

The Royal Hospital Kilmainham is one of Ireland’s finest 17th-Century buildings. The hospital was built in 1684 by Sir William Robinson, offi-cial State Surveyor General for James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to King Charles II, as a home for retired soldiers and continued in that use for over 250 years. The style is based on Les Invalides in Paris with a formal facade and a large court-yard. Following years of being used alternatively as a dwelling for soldiers, the Garda Síochána (Irish Police), and later a storage location for the National Museum; the hospital was restored through a government funded scheme in 1984, on its 300th anniversary and opened as the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Our evening at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham will begin with a drinks reception in the Baroque Chapel, before moving through to the Great Hall for dinner. After dinner we will be entertained with an Irish dancing demonstration and there will also be an opportunity to test our own Irish dancing skills with a Céilí (pronounced kay-lee) where everyone will be invited up to the floor to try a few steps! The link below will give you some idea of what awaits you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhlstpyiM0Q

Friday, 12 April

Breakfast & check-out

Breakfast will be served from 07:15 in the Alexander Hotel and from 06:30 in the Shelbourne Hotel. Checkout from both hotels will take place between 08:15 and 09:15, except for those who are extending their stay at these hotels for the weekend. Each group will meet in the reception of their hotel at 09:25 before embarking on the short bus jour-ney across the city to Croke Park.

Those returning to Brussels on Friday afternoon should bring their lug-gage with them at this stage. For those staying elsewhere for the weekend - their luggage will be held in the hotel luggage room until the afternoon.

Croke Park We will depart by bus at 09:30 and travel to the North side of Dublin City for our visit to Croke Park, the home of the Gaelic Athletic Associa-tion (GAA).

On arrival at Croke Park we will be welcomed by GAA President Liam O’Neill and Director-General Páraic Duffy. Our tour will last for one hour.

Guinness Storehouse We will then travel across the city by bus to the Guinness Storehouse for a visit to the home of Guinness and one of Dublin’s most recognisable landmarks. Upon arrival at Guinness we will break into three groups for a guided tour and an opportunity to enjoy a pint of the black stuff!.

Lunch Following our visit we will depart Guinness Storehouse at 13:00 and make our way for lunch at the Pig’s Ear Restaurant just off Grafton Street. This will mark the final stop on the official programme. After lunch those extending their stay in Ireland for the weekend can col-lect their bags from the Alexander Hotel or the Shelbourne Hotel, which are located nearby. Dublin Airport For those returning to Brussels that afternoon we will leave the restau-rant at 15:15 and go to Dublin Airport. Check-in for the return flight will be from 16:00 to 16:30, in advance of the Aer Lingus flight departure at 17:50. Brussels Airport Zaventem We will arrive back in Brussels Airport Zaventem at 20:25.

Páirc an Chrócaigh

Páirc an Chrócaigh (Croke Park), is a sports stadium located to the north of Dublin City Centre. The stadium is the headquarters of Cumann Lu-clas Gael (Gaelic Athletic Associatio or GAA). The GAA is Ireland’s larg-est sporting organisation and it is celebrated as one of the great amateur sporting associations in the world today. The GAA is a volunteer led, community based organisation that pro-motes Gaelic games such as Hurling, Football and Rounders and works with sister organisations to promote Ladies football and Camogie. The Association’s influence is also felt outside of Ireland and it has a pres-ence on all five continents, playing a key role in connecting Irish people around the world as can be seen in the example of the Brussels GAA Club. Founded in 1884, the Association has long played an influential role in Irish political and social life that extends far beyond sport alone. This central role is illustrated in the GAA Museum where we will have the op-portunity to learn about the Association’s history and ethos. For those feeling competitive there will also be an opportunity to test their reactions and mental sharpness while trying their hand at both Hurling and Gaelic football!

Guinness

It was in the year 1795 that Arthur Guinness started brewing ales at the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. On 31 December 1759 he signed, the now famous - 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the brewery. Ten years later, on 19 May 1769, Guinness was first ex-ported off the Island when six barrels were sent to Great Britain. Presently Guinness is one of the most successful beer brands world-wide and is brewed in almost 60 countries and available in over 100 , selling over 850 million litres annually. The unique taste is derived from the roasted unmalted barley; the draught beer's thick, creamy head comes from mixing the beer with nitrogen when poured. Our visit to the Guinness Storehouse will include a guide of the brew-ing process and a chance for each member of the group to have a go at pulling the perfect pint! We will finish our tour with a drink in the Gravity Bar, which offers panoramic views of Dublin city and its sur-roundings (weather permitting!)

Practical Information

The weather Ireland is well known for its beautiful sunshine and tropical beaches so we would advise you to bring plenty of sun screen. Alternatively you may wish to bring a rain jacket as they are quite popu-lar fashion items and as one knows it is always good to stay up to date with the latest trends.

Light drizzles can be expected

For everything else We hope that you enjoy what Ireland has to offer and should you need anything don’t be afraid to ask ! Beannachtaí agus Sláinte go saol agat.

Hotel Information

Shelbourne Hotel

27 St. Stephen's Green

Dublin 2

Ireland

+353 (0)1 663 4500

http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/dubbr-the-shelbourne-dublin-a-renaissance-hotel/

O'Callaghan Alexander Hotel 41 - 47 Fenian Street Off Merrion Square

Dublin 2

+353 (0)1 607 3700

ocallaghanhotels.com

Our Contact Details

Ambassador Tom Hanney +32 496 59 77 80 Mary Wemyss +32 490 57 39 53 Ronan Gargan +32 496 59 77 93 Sarah Holden +32 496 59 17 28 Petya Genova +32 490 57 58 13

Something for the weekend….

For those planning to extend their stay in Dublin, there are lots of options to explore whether your taste runs to culture, history, shopping or Dub-lin’s famous hospitality!

Further information on the best that Dublin has to offer can be found at www.visitdublin.com.

The National Museum The National Museum has three locations in Dublin with the Archaeo-logical section located at Kildare Street, Decorative Arts and History at Collins Barracks and Natural History at Merrion Street. Admission to the Museum is free and further information can be found at www.museum.ie. The National Gallery The National Gallery of Ireland is located on Merrion Square West in the heart of Dublin city centre. Home to the National Collection of European and Irish fine art, admission to the permanent collection is free. Information on the Museum’s exhibitions and opening hours can be found at www.nationalgallery.ie.

Chester Beatty Library Here you will find a wonderful eclectic collection of manuscripts, minia-ture paintings, prints, rare books etc. The museum has been voted Dub-lin's best numerous times and the best in Europe in 2002.

Admission to the museum is free and it is located on the grounds of Dublin Castle.

The Hugh Lane Gallery Located in Dublin's city centre, The Hugh Lane Gallery houses one of Ireland's foremost collections of modern and contemporary art. Admis-sion to the gallery is free and information can be found at www.hughlane.ie Shopping Dublin has a wealth of shopping options to fit a variety of tastes and budgets. Grafton Street is perhaps the best known shopping area and it offers the best of Irish and international fashion. Bookended by Trinity College and St Stephen’s Green, the streets and lanes that surround Grafton Street are lined with boutiques and speciality shops. The Power-scourt Townhouse Centre, a restored Georgian townhouse, is particularly worth a visit for those seeking specialist shops, fashion, galleries, an-tique jewellery stores and restaurants. Situated around the corner from Grafton St, Nassau Street has a good range of Irish craft stores, such as Kilkenny Design Centre and House of Ireland, which specialise in Irish design ware, glass ceramics and more. For those seeking something more unique, the Cow’s Lane Designer Market in Temple Bar trades on Saturdays and sells cutting edge clothing and crafts. Meanwhile, the best of high street shopping can be found across the River Liffey in Henry Street which is located off the main thoroughfare of O’Connell Street. This area is also home to two of Dublin’s oldest De-partment Stores, Arnotts and Clerys. Literary tour The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl combines two of Ireland’s best known tra-ditions, writing and pub culture, for a whirlwind tour of the city’s rich liter-ary history and characters. Lasting for about two and half hours the tour can be booked as a group or on an individual basis. Two actors will guide you through the city’s most historic pubs while introducing some of Ireland’s best known writers and performing scenes from their work. Fur-ther information on the tour and booking can be found at www.dublinpubcrawl.com

Glendalough For those interested in venturing out of Dublin for an afternoon, Glen-dalough in County Wicklow is a perfect destination to enjoy the best of the Irish countryside. Famed for its magnificent scenery, Glendalough Valley is situated in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. The Valley was carved by glaciers during the Ice Age and the two lakes, from which Glendalough gets its name, were formed when the ice eventually melted. The Valley is also home to one of Ireland’s most impressive monastic sites founded by St Kevin in the 6th Century. Glendalough is about a one hour drive from central Dublin, while a private bus also operates on a daily basis (www.glendaloughbus.com). Further information on Glen-dalough itself can be found at www.glendalough.ie. Beyond Dublin… For those travelling further afield for the weekend, travel and destination ideas can be found at www.discoverireland.com and www.ireland.com. Details of rail and bus services can be found at www.irishrail.ie and www.buseireann.ie respectively, while information on car hire and sug-gested itineraries is available at www.carrentalcouncil.ie

Austria Harald Günther Ilona Günther-Primas Belgium Olivier Belle Cécilia Gubbins Bulgaria Petia Vassileva Croatia Irena Andrassy Cyprus George Zodiates Militsa Zodiates Czech Republic Jakub Dűrr Miloš Adolf France Alexis Dutertre Raphaelle Dutertre Germany Guido Peruzzo Denmark Jonas Bering Liisberg Maria Ventegodt Liisberg Estonia Clyde Kull Olga Kull Greece Andreas Papastavrou Katerina Iliopoulou

List of Participants

Deputy Permanent Representatives

Finland Marianne Huusko-Lamponen Hungary Olivér Várhelyi Imola Horváth Várhelyiné Ireland Tom Hanney Paula Fitzmaurice Hanney Italy Marco Peronaci Pamela Anyoti Lithuania Arūnas Vinčiūnas Stanislava Vinčiūne Luxembourg Michèle Eisenbarth Latvia Juris Štālmeistars Malta Patrick Mifsud The Netherlands Wepke Kingma Tess Wouda Kuipers Poland Karolina Ostrzyniewska Krzysztof Ostrzyniewski Portugal Pedro Sanchez Costa Pereira

Romania Cristian Badescu Adina Badescu Spain José Pascual Marco Géraldine Dufort Slovakia Alexander Micovčin Slovenia Uroš Vajgl Desa Vidakovič Sweden Jan Olsson United Kingdom Shan Morgan General Secretariat of the Council Paul Culley Jürgen Huber Tim Middleton Janet Middleton Commission Sabine Weyand Peter M Wagner

Austria Sabine Schneeberger Jochen Schneeberger Belgium Mathias Haerynck Ann Kerckaert Bulgaria Maria Koleva Croatia Marina Šutalo Cyprus Chrysostomos Stavrou Demetra Christodoulou Czech Republic Markéta Benešová Denmark Jakob Alvi Estonia Käsper Kivisoo Liina Naaber-Kivisoo France Sophie Lagoutte Germany Werner Langhals Greece Athanasios Leousis

Mertens

Ireland Ronan Gargan Michelle Gargan Sarah Holden Andrew Kennedy Italy Carlo Jacobucci Lithuania Evaldas Marozas Kristina Augustinaite Neringa Majauskaite Luxembourg Mike Hentges Latvia Kaspars Krumholcs Malta Alessandra Galea The Netherlands Anna Pauline Diepenbroek Robin Oomkes Poland Katarzyna Okoń Portugal Sílvia Inácio Nuno Rodrigues Romania Alina Tanasa Spain Gerardo Fernandez-Gavilanes

Slovakia Katarína Jurisová Slovenia Janja Pevec Zivkovic Savo Zivkovic Sweden Gustaf Lindgren Lena Ripa Lindgren United Kingdom David Lloyd Louisa Charlotte Bentley General Secretariat of the Council Kristien Michoel Mari Linnapuomi Jan von Pfaler Commission Olga Koumartsioti