Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 88: To ask the Taoiseach the number of Council of the European Union's meetings that he was entitled to attend in the past three years; the number of Council meetings he attended; the number of same that were attended by officials in his place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19131/10]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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For the period in question, my predecessor, an Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D., attended three scheduled European Councils and one Informal European Council. Since I took office, there have been eight scheduled European Councils and six Informal or Extraordinary European Councils. I have attended all fourteen of these meetings. There were also two meetings of the Heads of State or Government of the Euro Area Member States, both of which I attended.

In addition I have I also attended meetings between the European Union and other key regions, such as the Eastern Partnership Summit and the Union for the Mediterranean Summit.

Details of the meetings attended by my predecessor and I over the past three years are set out below: