Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern was heading Thursday to Madrid for talks with his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero about European Union (EU) issues, an Irish government spokesman said.

The topics will include future EU funding, progress on ratification of the EU constitution and the status of minority languages, such as Gaelic and regional Spanish languages within the union, he said.

The spokesman did not confirm whether Ahern had already left, but his departure was imminent.

Ahern will also raise the issue of United Nations amid the appointment by Secretary General Kofi Annan of Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern as one of five special envoys to promote UN reform proposals.

In February Spain voted by 77 percent in favour of the new European constitution and Ahern will brief Zapatero on preparations for Ireland's referendum. No date has been fixed for the Irish vote.

A government statement said the two leaders would also discuss financing of the EU in 2007-2013.

"The Luxembourg EU Presidency has indicated that it intends to press for an agreement on these future Financial Perspectives at the European Council in June 2005.

"The Financial Perspectives cover such issues as structural and cohesion funding, the funding of the CAP -- which was agreed in October 2002 -- and research and development funding.

"The negotiations also cover the Union's revenues and the issue of the British budgetary rebate."

Ahern will also raise Ireland's application to the EU to have Gaelic made an official and working language. Currently Gaelic only has the status of a treaty language.

Pressure to gain greater EU recognition for Gaelic mounted last year when Ireland held the revolving six month presidency of the EU during the accession of 10 new countries.

Ahern told parliament last week that the application had been well received although there had been questions about the ramifications and whether it might affect issues in other countries.

He told MPs Zapatero was "fighting a separate battle that feeds into our issue, namely, that of regional Spanish languages gaining recognition.

While in Madrid, Ahern will lay a wreath at the memorial in Retiro Park to the victims of last year's terrorist bomb attacks in the city.