Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2003 > Committee on European Affairs > Report on the EU Flag

Houses of the Oireachtas

Tithe an Oireachtais

Joint Committee on European Affairs

An Comhchoiste um Ghnóthaí Eorpacha

Report on the proposal to display the European Flag for the duration of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union

Tuarascáil ar an togra chun Bratach na hEorpa a thaispeáint i rith Uachtaránacht na hÉireann ar an Aontas Eorpach.

16 July 2003

16 Iúil 2003

Joint Committee on European Affairs

An Comhchoiste um Ghnóthaí Eorpacha

Report on the proposal to display the European Flag for the Duration of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union

Tuarascáil ar an togra chun Bratach na hEorpa a thaispeáint i rith Uachtaránacht na hÉireann ar an Aontas Eorpach.

Report on the proposal to display the European Flag for the duration of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union

At the Meeting of the Joint Committee on European Affairs of 16 July 2002, the Joint Committee discussed a proposal that the European Flag should be displayed alongside the National Flag in public offices during Ireland’s Presidency and resolved;

That this Joint Committee on European Affairs

•Having regard to Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the European Union, January / June 2004;

•Recognising the importance of creating an awareness amongst Irish people of the European responsibility which the Presidency confers upon the Government, the Oireachtas and the country;

•Marketing, in particular, public manifestation across the country, the largest enlargement of the European Union with the entry of ten Member States;

•Underlining that this enlargement brings to an end the political partition of the continent of Europe;

•For the duration of the Presidency, calls on the Oireachtas to have displayed in the Dáil, the Seanad and Committee rooms, the European Union Flag side by side with the National Flag or otherwise in an appropriate manner, with effect from 1^st January 2004;

•Calls on the Government to have flown from Government Buildings, including Government Departments and related offices, the European Union Flag, wherever the National Flag is flown, side by side, or otherwise in an appropriate manner;

•Calls upon Local Authorities to have flown from official Local Authority buildings or related offices the European Union Flag wherever the National Flag is flown, side by side, or otherwise in an appropriate manner

•Calls on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the appropriate Court Authorities to ensure that in respect of the various Court buildings and Court houses across the country that the European Union Flag is flown wherever the National Flag is flown, side by side, or otherwise in an appropriate manner;

and that arrangements to ensure that these measures can take effect with the commencement of the Irish European Union Presidency are put in place as soon as possible and that the Clerk of the Committee keep the members informed of the progress made in respect of these matters and of the response of the various bodies listed above following the formal communication of this resolution by the clerk of the Committee to various bodies cited.

DECISION OF THE COMMITTEE.

The Joint Committee having agreed the above resolution further agreed that a copy of this report should be laid before the Dáil and the Seanad and agreed that a copy should be sent to the Dail and Seanad Committees on Procedure and Privilege.