Meetings at Ministerial level with our counterparts in other Members States of the European Union are purposely scheduled in the context of European Council activities, for practical reasons as the Deputy will appreciate. I have not had bilateral engagements with counterparts from other Members States in relation to Brexit outside that context.
The programme of engagement by the Government with other EU Governments and the EU institutions, including the Commission’s Brexit Negotiations Task Force is already underway and will be intensified in 2017. This activity is reinforced by extensive engagement at diplomatic and official level. An important part of our preparations for the Brexit negotiations is ensuring that our particular concerns are heard and understood across Europe and engagement with our EU partners and with the EU institutions is therefore critical. There is ongoing engagement with relevant parties to emphasise Ireland’s concerns and to ensure that they are fully reflected in the EU position once negotiations commence. In that regard, I met with Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Vice President of the European Commission last November when Brexit was among the issues discussed.
My Department also continues to participate in the preparations for the negotiations which will follow the triggering of Article 50 by the United Kingdom. For example, I am hosting a Sectoral Dialogue in Cavan on 6 February to provide an opportunity to engage with stakeholders across the broad range of policy areas for which my Department is responsible.
