Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 15, inclusive, together.

I attended the meeting of the European Council on 14 and 15 March in Brussels. As I have previously informed the House, the meeting was firmly focused on the key challenges facing Europe - those of generating growth and creating jobs. We brought the first phase of the European semester process to a conclusion. During Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we provided a report of deliberations in various Council formations, which informed the discussions. The European Council reiterated the priority areas for attention listed in the Commission's annual growth survey published in November of last year.

The European Council had a comprehensive discussion on the economic situation in the EU, including the competitiveness challenge, and agreed that the focus should remain on implementing decisions already taken, particularly with regard to the compact for growth and jobs and the completion of the Single Market. I briefed the meeting on the work we are doing in our Presidency and I thanked colleagues for their co-operation in areas in which we have already had good outcomes, such as the two-pack, the youth employment initiative and the youth guarantee. President Barroso gave a presentation entitled Growth, Competitiveness and Jobs: Priorities for the European Semester 2013. In the subsequent discussion, leaders focused on the continuing impact of the economic crisis and the steps required to move beyond it.

In our conclusions, we placed specific emphasis on addressing unemployment, especially among the young, the Single Market, and reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, especially on small and medium-sized enterprises. We also took stock of progress on the legislative proposals relating to the integrated financial framework, or banking union, as it is known. Leaders reiterated the imperative to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns. I briefed the meeting about the progress we are making in our Presidency in regard to the single supervisory mechanism and the recovery and deposit guarantee, and stressed that we remain committed to delivering on the timetable set in December.

While the multi-annual financial framework, or budget, was not on the agenda for this meeting, President Schulz of the European Parliament, in his presentation at the beginning of the European Council meeting, informed the meeting about the outcome of the vote on the MFF in the Parliament, and I updated colleagues on the work we are doing in our Presidency. In this regard, I had a meeting with Presidents Barroso and Schulz in the margins of that meeting and we agreed to continue to work closely together for early agreement.

Later on the Thursday evening, I attended the Euro summit meeting. The president of the European Central Bank, Mr. Draghi, briefed leaders on the economic situation in the euro area, pointing to three vital requirements - confidence, credit and competitiveness. There was a shared view around the table that we need to maintain our efforts to achieve sustainable finances, but that we also must step up our efforts on growth. While we welcomed the new Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, to the table, we did not discuss the situation in Cyprus in detail as it was to be discussed by the finance Ministers in the Eurogroup on the Friday afternoon.

On Friday morning, 15 March, the European Council had a useful, free-flowing discussion on the EU's relations with strategic partners, with a particular focus on Russia. Leaders also had a discussion on the evolving situation in Syria. It was agreed that EU foreign Ministers would be asked to consider this matter further at their informal ministerial meeting in Dublin on 22 and 23 March. The UK Prime Minister, Mr. Cameron, updated leaders on preparations for the G8 summit, which will take place at Lough Erne, County Fermanagh, in June. We are co-operating closely with the British authorities with regard to this important event.

While I had no formal bilaterals with President Anastasiades or the then Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Monti, I had discussions with many of my colleagues in the margins of the meeting, including a bilateral meeting with Mr. Cameron. I also met with Presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso ahead of the meeting of the European Council on 14 and 15 March, as is customary for the Presidency, and, as I have already stated, I had a separate meeting with Presidents Barroso and Schulz which focused on the MFF.

The agenda for this meeting of the European Council was prepared in the normal way. President Van Rompuy submitted an annotated draft agenda to the February meeting of the General Affairs Council. He then circulated draft conclusions of the European Council, which were discussed by ambassadors in Brussels and subsequently by Ministers meeting at the General Affairs Council, which the Tánaiste chaired. In the usual manner, at each step in the process, Ireland conveyed its comments on the draft conclusions, as appropriate.

The issue of the Middle East peace process did not arise as a separate item at this meeting.

On 28 and 29 April, in the course of a visit to Spain and Portugal, I had separate meetings with the Prime Ministers, Mr. Rajoy and Mr. Coelho, as well as with German finance Minister, Mr. Schäuble. We discussed a range of major EU and Presidency agenda items, including the MFF negotiations; economic and monetary union, including progress towards banking union; trade, particularly prospects for an EU-US trade agreement; progressing the Single Market agenda; and developments in the euro area. I also updated both Prime Ministers and Mr. Schäuble on progress made during the Irish Presidency and on ambitions for the rest of our term.

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