EU Ministers Said to Plan Meeting Tonight as Irish Talks Ongoing

European finance ministers are planning a conference call this evening as Ireland edges closer to applying for an international bailout, said a European Union official with direct knowledge of the meeting.

Ireland may make a statement as early as this afternoon as talks with the EU and the International Monetary Fund progress, two separate EU officials said. Prime Minister Brian Cowen is chairing a cabinet meeting in Dublin today to discuss the country’s four-year budget outlook and international officials are working through the weekend to finish an aid deal for the country’s banks and avoid a fresh setback in financial markets.