Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 132: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current or expected position regarding a further EU treaty; the extent to which the issue of suspension of voting rights has been addressed in that context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43526/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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At its meeting of 28-29 October, the European Council endorsed the report of the task force on economic governance chaired by President Herman Van Rompuy and agreed on the need for Member States to establish a permanent crisis mechanism to safeguard the financial stability of the euro area. The European Council has agreed to revert to the matter at its next meeting on 16 and 17 December, with a view to taking the final decision on both the outline of a crisis mechanism and on a limited Treaty amendment, so that any change can be ratified by mid-2013 at the latest. President Van Rompuy also expressed the intention to consult Member States - in a separate and subsequent exercise – on the issue of the right of euro area members to participate in decision-making in EMU-related procedures in the case of a permanent threat to the stability of the euro area as a whole. No timeframe has been set for these consultations.