The Cabinet will meet on Monday to decide the future of the EU Commissioner Mr Padraig Flynn, the Taoiseach announced on his departure from Washington yesterday.
The normal weekly meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, has been brought forward because of the visit of the Russian Prime Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov, to Dublin.
In advance of his meeting with the German Chancellor, Mr Gerhardt Schroder, in Dublin today, Mr Ahern said the Government would be seeking clarification on what would happen to the existing Commission.
Mr Ahern said the work of this Commission was really going to end at the end of May. "The idea of them staying caretakers until this work is out of the way - it would only be for two months - is attractive enough. To bring these people out and then try to put in another group to finish the Agenda 2000 negotiations doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, who was with the Taoiseach, offered no insight into the Progressive Democrats attitude to Mr Flynn's reappointment. "It will be for the collective decision of the Cabinet," she said.
Mr Ahern suggested that three options were being considered by EU governments. The Commissioners could stay as caretakers for some period. They could be gone and have to be reappointed for the rest of this year. Or, thirdly, the new Commission could be appointed for a 5 1/2-year period of office.
He thought that it would not be the worst option for Ireland if the Commission was to remain in a caretaker capacity.
