Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 September 2021
78. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent attendance at the General Affairs Meeting of the European Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46842/21]
View answerThe most recent meeting of the General Affairs Council took place on 21 September 2021 in Brussels. Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne T.D., represented Ireland at the meeting. The principal item for discussion was the preparation of the agenda for the European Council meeting on 21-22 October. At that meeting, leaders will discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, digital issues including the 2030 Digital Compass, and external relations.
EU-UK relations was also a major item at the Council with Commission Vice President Maroš Šefcovic briefing Ministers on the current state of play in EU-UK relations and the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Minister Byrne, along with a number of other Partners, expressed strong support for the Commission’s approach to resolving outstanding issues in this regard. Ministers also discussed the EU’s coordination on the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular vaccine and travel-related matters. During the discussion, Ireland was invited to share its best practice of achieving a high vaccination rate.
The Council also received an update from Slovenia on its priorities for its current EU Presidency, with a focus on recovery and resilience, as well as an update on the state of play in relation to the Conference on the Future of Europe, in particular upcoming events and organisational aspects of the Conference.
The Commission gave an overview of the 2021 Strategic Foresight Report and the Commission President’s Letter of Intent, which was followed by a discussion among Ministers on the main priorities for the EU in 2022. Minister Byrne highlighted the importance of the Single Market, protecting the rule of law and the EU’s values and democracy, the Green Deal and the transition towards sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as Ireland’s support for the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) initiative.
Ministers were also informed under Any Other Business of the latest state of play in EU-Switzerland relations and the recent EU-Med 9 Summit.
