'A crucial meeting to determine whether the plan should go ahead is taking place in Brussels. A special European Commission committee was forced to call the meeting after Justice Minister Dermot Ahern blocked a bid to push through the plan "on the nod" without consultation with government ministers from EU states.

Before yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Mr Ahern met Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin to discuss the Brussels talks and the two men agreed that Ireland should push for a vote by the committee and then oppose the plan.

The committee wants to include Israel on a list of 'third' countries that are already deemed to have adequate data protection safeguards to allow them receive personal data on European citizens.'

Read more: Irish Ministers Fight EU Bid to Give Israel Data