23 Ean 2013, 12:42
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Union Affairs will meet Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore TD tomorrow morning at 10:30 am.
22 January 2013
The Tánaiste is meeting the Committee in advance of the upcoming meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC), to be held in Brussels on 4 February. At the meeting tomorrow, he will also update the Committee on the last GAC council, which discussed the EU enlargement process in the Western Balkans.
Chairman of the Committee Dominic Hannigan TD said: “Our Committee meeting to tomorrow is a valuable opportunity to explore Irish government policy with the Tánaiste in advance of the key monthly General Affairs Council meeting. At the next meeting of the GAC, to be held on 4 February, the Tánaiste is scheduled to present the work programme of Ireland’s EU Presidency. The future of EU Cohesion Policy is also on the agenda.
\"The Tánaiste will also update the Committee on the last GAC meeting, in which the Council reaffirmed its commitment to enlargement in the Western Balkans, agreeing that it was vital to the “stability, reconciliation and future of the region”. As a Committee, we have devoted considerable attention to enlargement in recent months, hearing from leading experts on the prospects for Bosnian accession as well as from the Turkish lead negotiator with the EU. We look forward to exchanging views with the Tánaiste on Ireland’s approach to EU enlargement at our meeting tomorrow.”
The meeting commences at 10:30 am tomorrow Thursday 24 January in committee room 3, LH 2000. Committee proceedings can be viewed online via this link.
Follow the EU Affairs Committee Facebook page for updates on the Committee’s work.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +353 1 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
Committee Membership
Deputies
Dominic Hannigan, TD (Chairman)
Paschal Donohoe, TD (Vice-Chairman)
Seán Crowe, TD
Timmy Dooley, TD
Bernard J Durkan, TD
John Halligan, TD
Seán Kyne, TD
Joe O’Reilly, TD
Senators
Colm Burke,
Fidelma Healy Eames,
James Heffernan,
Terry Leyden,
Kathryn Reilly