Speaking to the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, he said that the UK is now viewed with "great respect" in Europe having conducted Europe's business in a way which was "proactive" and "sought to find a consensus".

The committee was scrutinising preparations for the Cardiff Summit which is due to take place later this month. The two-day event marks the end of the UK's presidency. The government intends to use the summit to showcase what it sees as its achievements in Europe over the six-month period in charge.

The Foreign Secretary was resolute in his pride

Mr Cook said the UK presidency had been "unique" in holding three heads of government summits to handle "the extremely busy and very strategic decisions that have been taken during the presidency".

He highlighted the progress made in EU enlargement, saying it had got off to a "flying start" under British leadership. He insisted that the decision of 11 countries to lock their currencies in monetary union had "passed off without any controversy".

The foreign secretary dismissed the recent vote by the European Parliament, which declined to praise the UK Presidency for its work so far, saying that "the overall scoreboard is positive".

Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Howard poured cold water on Mr Cook's positive message: