The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has joined the leaders of the European Union’s 14 other member states for a summit in Barcelona.
Security in the Spanish city is tight amid heightened fears of a terrorist attack.
Thousands of anti-capitalist demonstrators are also expected to protest at the summit and extra police have been drafted in to quell any violence.
The summit was organised to discuss the EU’s economic reform programme, but the 15 leaders are also expected to discuss the possibility of further sanctions against Zimbabwe and the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.