European Affairs ministers are meeting in Dublin today and tomorrow as talks on the next long-term EU budget reach a critical stage.
The talks in Dublin Castle will be led by Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne.
One of the key aims of Ireland’s EU Presidency is to agree the budget, known as the multiannual financial framework (MFF), before the end of the year.
However, several countries, including Germany, want to rein in spending.
Ms Byrne will host two working sessions on the MFF, including one with members of the European Parliament, and will also hold individual meetings with several of his European counterparts to seek to progress negotiations.
European ministers will then be joined by candidate and potential candidate countries for a discussion on EU enlargement.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Byrne said: “Reaching a timely agreement on the next Multiannual Financial Framework is in our collective interests and advancing this process is a central priority of the Irish EU Presidency.
“In hosting the informal General Affairs Council in Dublin today and tomorrow, I want to facilitate a useful discussion involving Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament, which advances the process of delivering an EU budget to the benefit of citizens and communities in every single Member State.”
There will be rolling road closures in Dublin city centre to facilitate the meeting.