Ireland's turn at EU presidency begins.

(From Agence France Presse)

Ireland took over the rotating presidency of the European Union, and with it the thorny issue of the first constitutional treaty for the bloc that will grow to 25 nations this spring.

To mark the handover, the European and Irish flags were to be raised together at Dublin Castle, in the heart of the Irish capital, at midday in the presence of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and other dignitaries.

The spotlight will return to Dublin Castle next Tuesday when European Commission President Romano Prodi and his team meet Ahern and his cabinet ministers to discuss the tasks ahead.

In an interview with AFP, Ahern said he hoped to make some progress on the constitution over the next six months, after EU leaders failed at their December 12-13 summit in Brussels to agree its contents.

"If colleagues want to move forward, the Irish presidency is willing to put in whatever effort and energy is necessary to do so," the taoiseach -- as Ireland's head of government is called -- said.

The main stumbling block is voting rights, with Spain and newcomer Poland determined to hang onto the disproportionate voting muscle at lawmaking EU ministerial meetings which they won under the Nice EU treaty of 2000.