The Minister for State for Europe, Mr Dick Roche, has criticised the media for failing to report on an EU ministerial conference held in his Wicklow constituency.
The conference was entitled "Communicating Europe".
Mr Roche said he had apologised to delegates for the lack of media interest at the conclusion of the conference last Thursday.
He said the national media was "shamed" because they had chosen to ignore it.
He was particularly critical of RTÉ, which he said was the recipient of taxpayers' money.
Speaking to The Irish Times after the meeting, which was held at the Druid's Glen Marriott Hotel, Newtownmountkennedy, the Minister said there were many aspects of the conference in which good work had been done and which should have been of interest to the media.
The conference attendance had included a delegation from the Forum on Europe, including its chairman, Senator Maurice Hayes; ministers and ministers of state from European, accession and neighbouring countries; as well as the former Taoiseach Mr John Bruton; the President of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox ; the EU Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, Mr Antonio Vitorino; and the External Trade Commissioner, Mr Pascal Lamy.
Particularly relevant, considering the accession of Cyprus and current negotiations on the reintegration of that island, was the attendance of the Cypriot Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr George Iacovou, and the Turkish diplomat Mr Volkan Bozkir, a deputy undersecretary at Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
