Minister for Finance and President of the Eurogroup Paschal Donohoe is in Brussels today and tomorrow for Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings.

Mr Donohoe will chair a meeting of the Finance Ministers of the euro area today.

The agenda will begin with a discussion on the 12th Greek enhanced surveillance report, followed by post programme surveillance for Ireland, Cyprus, Portugal, and Spain.

A recent IMF report on Irleland was overall positive and risks for the country's repayment capacity remain low.

European finance ministers will discuss and agree the Eurogroup work programme for the first half of next year, which is the third of Mr Donohoe's presidency.

This work programme continues the work already underway, and will focus on a number of priorities, including economic and fiscal policies to support the recovery and long-term growth.

It will also focus on strengthening the banking union, the euro as a digital currency and the international role of the euro.

After the Eurogroup meeting, Mr Donohoe will host a dinner for ministers in order to discuss preparations for the upcoming Euro Summit, including how to make progress on Banking Union.

Also in the margins of the Eurogroup, is his role as President of the Eurogroup, he will have a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Minister Christos Staikouras, to discuss Greek enhanced surveillance.

"I look forward to this meeting that includes discussion on our budget plans for next year," Paschal Donohoe said.

"The euro area economy recovered strongly in 2021. At the same time, some risks, such as the emergence of the Omicron variant, contribute to a high level of uncertainty," Mr Donohoe said.

"But I am confident about our ability to sustain a strong recovery into next year. The deployment of the Recovery Fund will play an important role in shielding us from emerging risks. Our economies have demonstrated their capacity to adjust to evolving circumstances on the health front," he added.

Tomorrow, the Minister will attend the ECOFIN meeting.

EU Finance Ministers are expected to exchange views on the economic recovery in Europe and the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, as well as the Commission's Annual Sustainable Growth Survey 2022 and Council Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area.

Mrr Donohoe will also meet with the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, and Minister for Finance, Vincent van Peteghem.