Minister for the Environment John Gormley will discuss water shortages and droughts with his EU colleagues at a summit in Luxembourg today.
Climate change issues are also on the agenda for the EU Environment Council meeting.
The summit will be chaired by Portugal's Minister for Environment, Spatial Planning and Regional Development, Francisco Nunes Correia. Portugal holds the presidency of the EU.
Recent trends suggest water shortages will become more prevalent across Europe in coming years. The Netherlands, Greece and Romania all suffered drought conditions in 2007.
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Mr Gormley and his EU colleagues attended a UN climate change conference in New York last month.