Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With regard to next year's summit, I presume a limited number of EU representatives will attend. I presume they will include the President of the Commission, representatives of whatever country holds the Presidency and the European Commissioner for External Relations. I presume this committee could ask our Minister to seek, in advance of the summit, that these issues be discussed at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting. I presume each member state will not be participating at the summit, but if our Minister raised the relevant issues at a meeting of the Council of Ministers in advance, it might be of some help.