The State's share in the next five-year EU research budget should reach at least £200 million, the Minister of State for Commerce, Science and Technology has stated.

Mr Noel Treacy will travel to a Council of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg next Monday where the Fifth Framework research budget will be the main item on the agenda.

Disagreement remains on the total budget with the Council suggesting 14 billion ecus (£11 billion) and the Commission pushing for about 16 billion ecus. A final decision may be deferred to a Council meeting in Brussels on December 10th by which time a decision must be made.

The overall budget would affect allocations to areas of particular interest to Ireland including marine and information technology research, Mr Treacy said yesterday during a media briefing. Irish negotiators were pressing for a higher spend in these areas. The five-year budget would come into play during 1999.