Tony Bass is an independent EU affairs and public relations consultant. He has been a Press Officer and communications advisor in a number of Irish ministries, including Foreign Affairs during an Irish Presidency. He was also Head of Training for the Irish Presidency of 2004. More recently, he has been a team leader on an EU regional project in the Western Balkans and is currently a visiting fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations. Tony worked as a seconded national expert at the European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA) in Maastricht and lectured at the College of Europe in Bruges.. He has extensive practical experience in EU forums, including Council of Minister's meeting, Comitology committees and Council working parties.