As the post Lisbon debate simmers on the back burner gently fueled by French President Sarkozy’s pronouncement on the weekend that there would be no Treaty III, the day to day business of the EU continues and highlights how the Irish Government are getting it wrong on engaging with the EU.

Already this week there have been issues about fingerprinting, VAT and GM products which have an Irish context but public Irish Government discussion and debate on these questions is as usual, at best muted, and more than likely, not happening at all.

Associated Press is carrying the story today of EU parliament criticism of “Italian plans to fingerprint tens of thousands of Gypsy adults and children”, The MEPs are “calling it a discriminatory action that smacked of Nazi Germany”.

The English Telegraph among others is reporting on EU Commission plans to cut VAT on key labour intensive service industries, and in a recession hit Irish economy these changes in EU tax code could be quite positive.

Finally, Reuters is reporting that “European Union farm ministers will debate next week whether to allow imports of genetically modified strains of cotton and soyabeans to be used as food ingredients and in animal feed“.

The chances of any of these issues being discussed by the Irish Government in the next week are minor…

There is though comment today in the Irish Times from Irish Justice minister Dermot Ahern on French government proposals for “setting up European “police stations” in tourist areas staffed by officers from all over the EU major European tourist areas“. Is this the most important and pressing EU issue this week?