The Irish Times view on the Dublin meetings: the capital brought to a standstill

A few days of severe disruption lie ahead for Dublin as almost 50 European leaders visit for two back-to-back summits, necessitating a major security operation which will involve road closures and public transport restrictions. The run-up to the events has featured bomb threats against airlines and, last Friday, several Irish media outlets, part of a pattern of so-called hybrid warfare designed to cause disruption and fear. Against this backdrop, the scale of the security threat facing the State this week is seen as significant.

City centres have traditionally been the locations for such summits across Europe, but the new security atmosphere raises questions about how appropriate that is. And it is much easier to close off an area within a big city such as Paris or Berlin – and keep it functioning – than to introduce no-go areas in the relatively narrow confines of Dublin, involving severe restrictions on crossing the Liffey. An accessible rural location would have been easier to seal off and would have avoided the high level of disruption which Dubliners now face.

It remains to be seen how well the plans put in place for people to get around the city work out, but the public’s patience look set to be severely tested. The decision to close off a second venue – the National Gallery – as well as the National Convention Centre further complicates the security requirements and increases the disruption.

Dublin is not an efficiently-functioning city at the best of times, with inadequate public transport and clogged roads. Some type of disruption – on Luas, rail or buses – never seems far away. If anything else goes wrong this week, then the scale of the chaos will worsen. Some office-based employees can work from home. But the same luxury does not extend to those working in other settings, such as retail, nuring homes and hospitals, for example.

The meetings are, of course, important. The European Political Convention will, in addition to the EU leaders, be attended by the UK, aspirant members in eastern Europe and by Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelenskiy. Canada’s Mark Carney will also attend.

The meeting provides an opportunity for EU leaders to underline their support for Ukraine and underline that its future lies within Europe. This agenda, however, provides a clear incentive for malign actors linked to Russia to seek to cause disruption. On Friday, EU leaders will discuss AI at an informal summit.

It is important for Ireland, as EU president, that the meetings go off smoothly. Leaders coming together provide a dynamic that can never be matched online. But the Coalition will know, nonetheless, that the photo opportunities and headlines will come with no domestic political upside.