The Taoiseach has insisted that Ireland can still recoup some of the cost of the bank bailout from the European Union.

The comments from Enda Kenny come after the President of the European Commission appeared to dash Irish hopes of offloading some of its debts to Europe.

The Taoiseach says reporters misunderstood the comments by Jose-Manuel Barroso.

Last night it seemed hopes of sharing the €64 billion Irish banking bill were dead after Mr. Barroso said Ireland had been "a threat to the Euro".

But as the EU summit wrapped up in Brussels, Enda Kenny remained optimistic and said Mr. Barroso was not actually talking about the idea of retrospective aid for Ireland.

He says Mr. Barroso was talking about the separate issue of a future banking supervisor. He says he has spoken to Mr. Barroso who has assured him Ireland can still get some help.

The comments from Mr. Barroso were made during questions from journalists at a press conference in Brussels last night.