Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former minister of state for Europe Lucinda Creighton are each due at the same pre-summit meeting near Brussels today.

Ms Creighton's opposition to the abortion legislation led to the loss of her ministerial post and the Fine Gael whip during the summer but she remains a vice-president of Fine Gael's European affiliate, the European People's Party.

Like their counterparts in each of the other big political groupings, EPP leaders hold their own talks before most EU summits.

Thus Mr Kenny and other leaders, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, are scheduled to meet today at the Belgian national botanic gardens at Meise, just outside Brussels.

Urgent clarification
Also attending will be Ms Creighton, who has aligned with a clutch of other Fine Gael dissidents in the Reform Alliance. Although she is out of favour with Mr Kenny, her EPP vice-presidency runs until autumn 2015. She was elected last November.

Ms Creighton is expected to call for an urgent clarification of the role of the ESM bailout fund in respect of Ireland’s historic banking debt. She regards this as fundamental to the achievement of debt sustainability.

Such concerns are similar to those of Mr Kenny. While Dr Merkel is a well-known sceptic in this regard, Ms Creighton is also expected to raise the stance of Germany’s Socialists in coalition talks with the chancellor.

"While coalition negotiations in Germany are a domestic matter, the reality is that the positions adopted will have an enormous bearing on Ireland, " she said.

“It has been well reported in the past week that the German Socialists are trying to back out of Germany’s commitment to allow the ESM directly recapitalise banks as well as trying to interfere with our corporation tax rate. This row-back must be resisted.”