Micheál Martin
Ceist:126. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with Mr. Donald Tusk on 8 March 2018. [13931/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 27 March 2018
Ceisteanna (126)
Freagraí scríofa
I was very pleased to welcome the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to Dublin on 8 March.
Our discussions, which took place ahead of the March European Council, covered the Brexit negotiations, EU trade policy, Economic and Monetary Union, and the taxation challenges posed in the digital era, as well as a number of foreign policy issues.
On Brexit, we discussed progress in relation to the draft Withdrawal Agreement, including on the Irish-specific issues. I stressed the importance of translating into the legal text the commitments and principles agreed in the Joint Report in December, including the backstop. President Tusk reiterated his strong solidarity with Ireland and said that our concerns were shared EU concerns. We also discussed the EU guidelines on the future relationship between the EU and the UK (then in draft form), which took into account the parameters outlined by Prime Minister May in her Mansion House speech.
I said that the draft guidelines reflected our ambition for a close partnership with the UK, while ensuring a level playing field and the integrity of the Single Market. I welcomed, in particular, the commitment to revisit our position should the UK approach evolve.
On digital taxation, I said that all companies, including digital platforms, should pay their fair share of tax. We are committed to global tax reform but we need an approach which is evidence-based, sustainable in the long-term, and focussed on aligning taxing rights with the location of real substantive value-creating activity.
That is why we have been working through the OECD to achieve the widest possible international consensus. This is a complicated area and it is important that we get it right. In our view, short term and uncoordinated measures could lead to unintended consequences.
On the future of the Economic and Monetary Union, President Tusk noted the Joint Paper which had been published by the Nordic, Baltic, Dutch and Irish Finance Ministers earlier this month, and looked forward to further discussions at the Euro Summit on 23 March.
We exchanged views on EU trade policy and agreed that Europe and the US should make every effort to work together.
We also discussed EU relations with Turkey and agreed the importance of continued engagement, notwithstanding our concerns in relation to human rights.