Exactly 40 years after it joined the EU, Ireland will take on the day-to-day running of the EU including overseeing the almost 70 laws needed to get the currently-disputed longterm budget up and running.
The debt-ridden country - it was bailed out by the EU and the International Monetary Fund in 2011 to the tune of €85bn - joined the EU on 1 January 1973.
When it starts its task at the beginning of next year, the clock will be ticking to get the 1 trillion euro 2013-2020 budget ag...
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