Taoiseach to face key EU budget talks in Bratislava

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will meet the leaders of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary in Bratislava later this morning as part of his continuing engagements as the Irish presidency of the EU enters a critical phase.

Mr Martin will first hold a bilateral meeting with the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at his government offices before joining the leaders of the so-called Visegrád four, the group of four central European countries, at Bratislava Castle.

The meetings will focus on the next seven year EU budget, enlargement and the war in Ukraine.

The Taoiseach met most EU leaders ahead of the presidency in the spring, but negotiations on the seven-year EU budget, the singular challenge of the Irish presidency, are entering a critical stage.

The Government is expected to present the latest negotiating text at a meeting of EU leaders in October.

The battle lines have been drawn between those countries insisting on protecting agriculture and cohesion spending, and those so-called frugal member states, including Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.

These countries are demanding that hundreds of billions of euros be cut from the European Commission's original proposal of nearly €2 trillion euro over a seven-year period.

The Taoiseach, under Ireland’s presidency, is leading the Government’s role in trying to find ways of bridging the gap.

A central focus is also on how the EU can find new revenue streams to supplement national contributions to the EU budget, and once again, the member states are divided.