Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Amárach rachaidh mé chuig an mBruiséil le haghaidh cruinnithe de chuid Chomhairle an Aontais Eorpaigh. Tá mé ag súil le ceisteanna móra an lae a phlé le ceannairí eile na hEorpa. Ó thoghadh mé mar Thaoiseach, tá mé tar éis labhairt leis an Chancellor Merkel agus leis an Uachtarán Macron agus thaistil mé go Londain Dé Luain le bualadh leis an bPríomh-Aire May. Chomh maith leis an gComhairle, beidh cruinnithe eile agam, agus mé sa Bhruiséil, leis an Uachtarán Tusk, an Uachtarán Juncker agus an Chancellor Merkel agus leis an bPríomh-Aire Ratas ón Eastóin agus a huachtaránacht ar an Aontas Eorpach ag tosnú go luath. Ag gach cruinniú, beidh teachtaireacht soiléir agam go bhfuil agus go bhfanfaidh Éire i gcroílár na hEorpa agus go mbeimid rannpháirteach sna diospóireachtaí faoi cheisteanna móra ár linne. Tá mé ag súil leis an Teach a chur ar an eolas nuair a fhillim.

The meeting tomorrow will begin with the usual exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament.

The first working session will deal with security and defence, both internal and external. This is clearly a key concern for member states and our citizens, in particular those in countries that have been the targets and victims of recent terrorist attacks. I will offer Ireland's continuing solidarity and our strong commitment to working closely with our partners in combating this growing threat. The meeting will send out a strong message that Europe stands united and firm against terrorism, hatred and violent extremism. Among the issues we will discuss in particular is the need to fight the spread of radicalism online and to thwart its financing. This will undoubtedly take concerted action. Industry too will need to play a part in detecting and removing content that incites violence. On the external dimension, the High Representative, Federica Mogherini, will report to the meeting on the implementation of the EU global strategy one year after its adoption. The strategy aims to bring all the tools available to the Union together to maximise their impact so as to protect our citizens and contribute to peace and security in our neighbourhood and beyond. We have strongly supported the EU global strategy while emphasising the need for the comprehensive implementation of all five of its priorities. This is very important if all member states are to contribute and play an active part. I particularly welcome that consideration is now being given to the issues of resilience and the EU integrated approach to external conflicts and crises.

On Thursday evening, the European Council will discuss a range of external issues, including recent international summits and Russia-Ukraine. Given the decision by President Trump to resile from the Paris climate change agreement, the European Council will reaffirm our strong commitment to the swift and full implementation of the agreement and to playing a leading role globally. As I have previously said to the House, I am determined that the Government should show a new ambition when it comes to tackling climate change, and this will be the subject of a full-day strategic meeting of the Cabinet.

Prime Minister May will then update us about developments on Brexit from a UK perspective. She will then leave the meeting and the 27 remaining EU leaders will discuss other aspects of Brexit in Article 50 format. At the last meeting in this format, on 29 April, the EU guidelines for the negotiations with the UK were agreed. As the House will be aware, the outcome was very positive from Ireland's perspective. The guidelines fully reflect our specific concerns, including the need to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the gains of the peace process, avoid an economic border and maintain the common travel area and what it means for Irish and British citizens' reciprocal civil rights: the rights to leave, work and access welfare, pensions, health care and housing in one another's countries as though we were citizens of both. At the April meeting, agreement was also reached on a declaration providing reassurance about EU membership for Northern Ireland in the event of a united Ireland within the circumstances provided for in the Good Friday Agreement. This is contained in the minutes of the meeting which will be formally adopted by the European Council in its Article 50 format tomorrow. Much has changed since the end of April. The UK has had a general election and returned a minority Conservative Government. From the perspective of the EU, we remain united at 27. We are organised and we have been ready to begin the talks with the UK for some time. I am pleased that the first round of negotiations between Michel Barnier and David Davis took place on Monday. These focused on the issues to be resolved in phase one: citizens' rights, the UK's financial liabilities and Ireland-specific and border issues. At our meeting on Thursday, Mr. Barnier will update us on the substance of these talks and the agreed way forward for the next few months. The meeting is expected to approve procedures for the relocation of two EU agencies currently located in the United Kingdom, namely, the European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority. Ireland is bidding for both agencies, and we offer a great location in terms of business continuity, connectivity, facilities and other factors. We will continue to advance our case vigorously between now and the time of voting, which is expected to be in October.

On Friday, the European Council will consider a range of economic issues under the heading of "jobs, growth and competitiveness". These include: Single Market strategies, trade policy, the European Fund for Strategic Investments and the European semester. I support a high level of ambition for the Single Market. There are still too many barriers to cross-border trade in services, while digitisation is making boundaries between goods and services less relevant. Europe's capital markets can also make a stronger contribution to financing investments in the real economy at a time when this investment is urgently needed. The Single Market and digital Single Market strategies can both help unlock the productivity and growth potential of cross-border trade. I want to see delivery - concrete timelines delivering early and practical results for consumers and SMEs. I will work closely with like-minded member states to drive progress in a direction that is open, competitive and innovation-friendly. I joined several other EU leaders this week in writing to President Tusk to call for greater ambition on this. On trade, I will make the case for a free and open approach within the EU and internationally. The draft Council conclusions set out a welcome commitment to this position. On the European semester, the European Council is expected to endorse this year's country-specific recommendations to member states. These have been largely agreed, although one member state has a point of contention. We are broadly happy with the tone and substance of the three recommendations proposed for Ireland, which cover fiscal policy, expenditure priorities and non-performing loans.

The discussion on migration will include updates on the migration partnership framework, the EU-Turkey statement, developments along the central Mediterranean route and implementation of the Malta declaration. The slow progress on reform of the common European asylum system will also be noted. Ireland remains at one remove from the full force of the migration crisis but we have nevertheless played a constructive role in the EU response. We have consistently highlighted the need for a comprehensive response that tackles both the effects and the route causes of migration. Ireland has provided €76.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region since 2012, while our contribution to the EU-Turkey refugee facility will be almost €23 million. In 2015, the Government decided to accept up to 4,000 asylum seekers and refugees by voluntarily opting into the EU relocation decisions and through participating in the UNHCR-led refugee resettlement programme. To date, 785 people have arrived on resettlement and 459 on relocation, and this is ongoing.

The last item on the European Council agenda is digital Europe. This was added in the context of the incoming Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will focus on digital issues during its term, including at a digital summit in Tallinn scheduled for 29 September. Ireland is a strong supporter of prioritising digital issues, and I commend the Estonian Presidency for its interest, focus and ambition in this regard.

As I said in my statement to the House last Wednesday, politics is far from perfect. At its best, it is a way of solving problems and helping to build a better future. The European Council provides the framework for solving our problems at EU level - often problems that cannot be solved by single nation states acting alone - and I look forward to participating actively, always keeping in mind the best interests of this country and Europe as a whole. I look forward to reporting back to the House next week on the outcome of the European Council.

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