Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is to visit Slovenia, Austria and Poland later this month for a series of meetings on EU affairs.
Mr Ahern will travel to Slovenia on 26 February where he will hold talks with Prime Minister Janez Janša about priorities for the forthcoming Spring European Council and the Lisbon Treaty.
Ireland is the only one of the 27 nations in the bloc that will hold a referendum on the treaty.
The two leaders will also discuss the revolving six-month EU presidency, which is currently held by Slovenia.
In Vienna on 27 February, Mr Ahern will address the 56 participating member states of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The OSCE is the largest regional security organisation in the world, and Ireland was one of the original 35 participating states when it was founded in 1973.
Mr Ahern will also meet Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer for discussions focused primarily on EU issues, including the EU mission to Chad.
On 28 February Mr Ahern will travel to Poland for talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
‘In addition to the broad EU agenda, discussions are expected to cover the growing bilateral relations between Ireland and Poland, including the strengthening business links,’ the Government said.
