€70,000 spent on Ireland’s EU presidency opening ceremony
Ken Foxe
More than €70,000 was spent on the opening ceremony for Ireland’s EU Presidency, including a ‘high-end’ canapé reception and a hefty drinks bill of more than €8,600.
The Department of Foreign Affairs purchased 192 bottles of Italian wine for the high-profile event at Dublin Castle. A Mainente Vigna Cengelle Soave white cost €45 per bottle, while the price for a Torre Raone Lucanto Montepulciano d’Abruzzo red was almost €47 per bottle.
Food for a ‘high-end canapé reception’ for 450 people cost almost €11,750, according to records released under an FOI request.
The hire of white cloths on the instructions of a senior OPW official cost around €1,600, with a further €369 spent on having them delivered.
A bill of around €900 was charged for “white table frills,” while a “last-minute” request for furniture delivery cost €369.
Altogether, the catering bill with Egan Hospitality came to just under €34,000 for the official launch on July 1st.
Other costs on the tab included canapés and refreshments at the State Apartments, costing around €3,000.
There was also a bill of roughly €2,300 to feed staff of the department as well as performers and a choir for the event.
A separate amount of €7,353 was spent on catering for media who attended the opening, the records showed.
Other costs included €14,415 for buses from Leinster House and the department's head office to Dublin Castle and back.
A bill of around €5,000 was run up for car transport for “high-level guests” while around €6,000 was spent on platinum VIP services at Dublin Airport.
The bus arrangements included 53-seater coaches for members of the diplomatic corps and the Oireachtas as well as 16-seater Mercedes minibuses for ministers and ministers of state.
Two chauffeur-driven vehicles used for European Council President António Costa cost just over €2,000, while transport arrangements for the Ukrainian delegation came to €2,900.
Six hundred gold-foiled invitations with a harp cost €775, with €150 paid to post them to other EU member states and Northern Ireland.
The invoices showed a €3,700 bill to print event booklets and cue cards.
