EU agriculture ministers meet in Co Kerry today where talks will include the possibility of scrapping subsidies for exports to countries outside the Union.
The two days of talks on how to proceed in the upcoming World Trade Talks is the first major gathering of EU ministers since expansion of the Union to 25 states.
The ministers will be joined by counterparts from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey - who hope to join the EU in the future.
Ahead of the beginning of the informal talks in Killarney, EU officials revealed that trade and agriculture Commissioners, Mr Pascal Lamy and Mr Franz Fischler, had sent a letter detailing the offer to the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. Mr Lamy is due to make a detailed announcement in Brussels later today.
But the offer, long demanded by top trading partners, depends on others such as the United States taking a similar step. "This is a big step forward, it's a major move," a senior official said.
Today's talks in Kerry will also address ways to improve communications to non-EU countries to achieve a better understanding of the Common Agricultural Policy reforms and its relevance to world trade.
Dr Fischler will also attend.