Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 21, inclusive, together.

I met the President of Egypt, Mr. Hosni Mubarak on 7 December last. We discussed the need to strengthen economic and trade links between Ireland and Egypt and reviewed the situation across the Middle East in general. President Mubarak expressed his appreciation for Ireland's strong position on the Middle East peace process, both internationally and within the EU.

I made official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from 14 to 19 January. This was one of the largest trade missions ever to travel from Ireland and it involved a total of 114 companies, as well as representatives of Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland. Twenty companies from Northern Ireland participated in the trip, accompanied by representatives of Invest Northern Ireland. Their participation emphasises the increasing level of economic co-operation on an all-island basis.

My colleagues, the Ministers for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Education and Science, and Agriculture and Food, accompanied me on the mission. The key aim of the visits was to enhance bilateral political and economic relations between Ireland and the region. The response to the visits, both at official and business levels, was very positive.

During my visit to Saudi Arabia, I met the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, and Crown Prince Sultan, in addition to paying a courtesy call to the Governor of Riyadh. I also addressed an audience at the King Faisal Foundation in Riyadh on the theme of Ireland and the Middle East. The text of my address is available on my Department's website and in the Oireachtas Library.

Immediately following my visit to Saudi Arabia, I made an official visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. During the course of this visit, I met the Vice President and Prime Minister of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The main trade events were two business breakfasts hosted by Enterprise Ireland in Riyadh and Dubai. At these events, I met many Irish companies and organisations together with their Saudi and United Arab Emirates contacts and I witnessed a number of business signings at these meetings. During the course of my visits, I also had the opportunity to meet many members of the Irish community who live and work in the region.

I attended the European Council in Brussels on 14 and 15 December. As I will make a statement on the Council later today, I will at this stage merely give a summary account of its proceedings. The main focus of the Council was a debate on enlargement in terms of overall strategy, in respect of which the Council discussed the Commission's report on the Union's capacity to integrate new members, and in terms of individual applicant countries. The Council welcomed Romania and Bulgaria to the EU as new members with effect from 1 January 2007.

On the accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia, the Council adopted the conclusions agreed by the Foreign Ministers at the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC. The conclusions suspend part of the negotiations with Turkey. The Council also focused on a number of topics within the broad area of justice and home affairs, particularly migration, decision making and Schengen.

I met with the President of the European Commission and the College of Commissioners when I visited Brussels on 8 November. I have no immediate plans for a further meeting. I attended the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on 24-25 January 2007. The invitation to participate was extended in the context of the high levels of interest that exist as regards the dynamism of Ireland's economic performance. During the course of my visit, I attended the opening session which heard a keynote address by Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in the context of Germany's Presidency of both the G8 and the European Union.

I also participated in a dedicated session on Building the Skills of Tomorrow, which explored the deepening importance of skills training and lifelong learning more generally in responding to the pressures of globalisation. This also provided an opportunity to outline the remarkable transformation of the Irish economy since the 1980s, including the key role of our social partnership process.

I took the opportunity while in Davos to have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Egypt, which provided a useful follow-up to President Mubarak's recent visit, and with the President of Switzerland. I also had meetings with Dr. Klaus Schwab, Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and with a number of senior executives from leading companies with operations in Ireland.

In mid-March, I will be travelling to New York and Washington for St. Patrick's Day events. There will be European Council meetings on 8-9 March and on 21-22 June. On 24-25 March there will be an informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Berlin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome.

I am sure that the National Forum on Europe will hold a number of meetings during 2007, continuing its good work in promoting public debate on the European Union in furtherance of Ireland's place in it. However, as the national forum is an independent body and I have no function in its day-to-day operations, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on its planned work programme for the year.

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