Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcomed Prime Minister Muscat of Malta to Government Buildings on Monday 28 November. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy Dara Murphy, were also present. The visit to Dublin was part of a series of visits to EU capitals in advance of Malta's first ever EU presidency in January 2017. The meeting was friendly and constructive. We discussed a range of issues including Malta's presidency, its priorities, the migration crisis, Brexit, Turkey, Libya, tax and the future of Europe.

Prime Minister Muscat, who was accompanied by his Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for European Affairs, thanked Ireland for our assistance in advance of its presidency.

The Maltese presidency will have six priorities. They are migration, security, the Single Market, social inclusion, Europe's neighbourhood and maritime affairs. I confirmed that Ireland would support Malta in its efforts to progress work on the Single Market and digital single market strategies in particular.

On the migration crisis, where Malta has particular concerns, Prime Minister Muscat thanked Ireland for the naval vessel we contributed last year as well as our voluntary offer to accept 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers as part of the EU response. We agreed that the EU-Turkey statement had led to a reduction in the numbers of people travelling the Western Balkans route but that other routes, including from Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, are of concern.

As I do in all my meetings with European Union counterparts, I outlined and explained Ireland's main concerns arising from Brexit, including our economy and trade, Northern Ireland, the common travel area and the future of the EU. We discussed the complex process ahead including the negotiations on withdrawal and on the future of the EU-UK relationship.

On tax, I outlined the Government's initiatives, such as the knowledge development box. I also informed the Prime Minister that Ireland had appealed the Commission's ruling on Apple. There was no discussion of any other company in this context.

We agreed to stay in close contact and to continue to work closely together over the coming period. I have had many meetings with Prime Minister Muscat over the last number of years.

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