Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 329: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when Ireland last used a veto at the European Council or at the Council of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14492/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The EU operates in a manner which encourages and facilitates the search for agreement between the Member States. While the Treaties provide that the principal method of reaching Council decisions is by Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), recourse to voting is very rare because agreement is normally achieved through negotiation and the search for compromise. However, for issues of particular national importance, such as, defence and taxation, the Treaties require unanimous agreement of all Member States. The European Council itself also operates by the consensus procedure.

Within the Union, whenever a Member State takes a very strong view against a draft proposal, it is normally amended to facilitate agreement and in cases where unanimity applies a Member State can prevent the proposal from proceeding.

Our consistent national approach at EU level is to articulate our concerns, seek support from partners and the EU institutions for them, and to advance our national interests through the process of negotiation. This approach has paid dividends over the years. Indeed, it is necessary to go as far back as the mid-1980s to find an occasion when the Government had cause to block a proposal at the European Council before a satisfactory outcome was achieved.