Since the UK referendum last June, I have had an intensive series of bilateral meetings with my counterparts in EU Member States, and with the heads of the EU institutions. I have also attended all meetings of the European Council, both formal and informal. At all my meetings I have highlighted and explained Ireland’s particular concerns arising from Brexit, including in relation to Northern Ireland and the peace process; the Common Travel Area; our interwoven economies; and the future of the EU.
I met with First Vice President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, in Government Buildings on 21 February.
His visit followed those of other Commissioners, including Mr. Moscovici and Ms. Vestager, which have served to underline the Commission's understanding of Ireland's particular concerns and support for our approach.
The meeting was friendly and constructive, with Commissioner Timmermans demonstrating a good understanding of Ireland's concerns, and offering strong Commission support for our approach in addressing these.
I visited Brussels on 23 February and met with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. I also participated in a business event organised by the Ireland Belgium Business Association, supported by the Embassy of Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
Continuing this strategic programme of engagement, I again travelled to Brussels on 2 March, when I had separate meetings with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk; the recently elected President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani; a number of key Members of the European Parliament; and the chief Commission Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier.
The focus of these meetings was on Brexit as well as the future direction of the EU. In addition to setting out our concerns around the economic and trade implications of the UK departure, I again explained in detail the peace process in Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement, and the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland that must be recognised from the start and reflected in the final agreement. President Tusk, President Tajani and Mr Barnier understood and acknowledged these issues and expressed their openness to working closely with us in the negotiations ahead.
It was also useful to highlight these issues to key MEPs. The European Parliament will adopt a resolution on Brexit in the coming months and will ultimately have to approve the final exit deal, so it is very important that we continue to engage to seek support there.
With regard to the debate on the future of the EU, I underlined to all my interlocutors the need for unity and the importance of our core European values which are central to our continuing peace and prosperity.
I believe that we must deliver for our citizens and, in that context, press ahead in areas of particular relevance, including jobs, growth, investment, the Single Market and Digital Single Market. I will continue to make these points in the build up to the Summit in Rome at the end of this month and into the future.
The next European Council meeting will take place on 9 March. The draft agenda, published by the General Secretariat of the Council, envisages that the Maltese Presidency will provide an overview of progress on the implementation of earlier European Council conclusions, and that the European Council will look at a number of the most pressing issues, including in relation to Jobs, Growth and Competitiveness; Security and Defence; Migration; and External Relations. Decisions are also to be taken on the position of the President of the European Council and establishing the European Public Prosecutor's Office. The agenda is in order from Ireland's perspective and I have therefore not sought any particular items for inclusion on it. I will be making a full statement on the European Council, as I always do, on Wednesday 8 March.
