Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 121: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of Council of the European Union's meetings that he was entitled to attend in the past three years; the number of 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. [19126/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As Minister for Finance, I engage frequently with European colleagues and in the present fast changing economic climate I am in frequent contact with European Ministerial colleagues and also with various European Commissioners that hold economic and /or financial dossiers, including the Commissioners for Economic and Monetary Affairs and for Internal Market and Services respectively. Finance Ministers of the sixteen Eurozone Member States meet in the Eurogroup on the eve of Economic and Financial Affairs Council meetings to discuss economic, monetary issues and other issues that relate to the euro area. Since my appointment in May 2008 there have been 24 Eurogroup meetings convened and I have attended 21 of them. Ireland was represented at senior official level, normally by the Irish Economic and Financial Committee (EFC) member at the meetings which I could not attend.

Ecofin usually meets monthly. Formal Ecofin Council meetings usually take place on Tuesdays, the day when meetings of the Cabinet generally take place in Dublin and, therefore there are times when I need to be in Dublin and cannot attend Ecofin meetings. In my absence, Ireland is represented at Ecofin by Ireland's Permanent Representative to the EU. Ireland's EFC member would also attend. Since my appointment in May 2008, there have been 25 Ecofin Council meetings convened of which I have attended 15. The recent informal Ecofin was convened by the Spanish Presidency in Madrid in April. Due to the sudden closure of Irish airspace which prevented anyone travelling from Dublin, Ireland was represented at this meeting by the Irish Ambassador to Spain.