Pedestrians walk pass the European Parliament office before Ireland takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union in Dublin, Ireland.Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images

Irish EU presidency to cost triple those of Cyprus, Denmark – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

Ireland is set to spend more than three times as much as Cyprus and Denmark on its Presidency of the Council of the EU, with the estimated cost of chairing the bloc’s policy agenda between July 1 and Dec. 31 nearing €300 million.

Almost half of the projected €293 million budget produced by Ireland’s public expenditure department — €125 million — is being allocated to policing and security, as the neutral country, long viewed as Europe’s defense blind spot, scrambles to ramp up security capacity for a series of high-profile visits.

By contrast, Cyprus, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, expects costs to total about €95 million. Denmark, which preceded Cyprus in the six-month presidency rotation, spent an estimated €80 million.