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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 to 16, inclusive, together.

The digital summit in Tallinn was an important opportunity for EU leaders to discuss the evolution of digital technologies and their wide-ranging implications in a less formal setting than regular European Council business. The Estonian Presidency prepared a very useful, forward-looking agenda to stimulate discussion on how Europe can develop its competitive advantages in a fast-changing digital world which is re-shaping key drivers of innovation, growth and living standards.

While we did not adopt formal conclusions, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas shared his assessment of the key broad-based agreement which emerged from our exchanges. This identified much common ground on issues, such as bringing government and the public sector into the digital age, an area where Estonia has taken a lead; making Europe a leader in cyber security, to ensure the trust, confidence and protection of our citizens; ensuring that our regulatory environment in Europe is one which supports innovation and entrepreneurship; empowering our people with digital skills and modernising our education and training systems to support lifelong learning opportunities; and, of course, supporting necessary investments in next-generation infrastructure.

Ireland wants to see a high level of political ambition in unlocking the full potential of the European digital Single Market, and it is clear from our discussions in Tallinn that this is a view shared by most of my European Council colleagues. Prime Minister Ratas will report on proceedings at the October European Council this week, where I expect we will have the opportunity to set a further clear orientation for ongoing legislative work in the European Council and Parliament.

The evening before the summit, a dinner was hosted by President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, during which there was a discussion on the future of Europe. This continued the process which began last year in Bratislava and followed Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s recent state of the Union speech in Brussels and President Macron’s speech at the Sorbonne. Migration was mentioned as an ongoing priority for action, but was not discussed in depth.

At the margins of the summit in Tallinn, I had a bilateral meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Irish embassy. We discussed progress in regard to the Brexit negotiations, and I thanked the Prime Minister for his understanding of Ireland's particular concerns. We also exchanged views about the Bratislava process and the future direction of Europe. I invited him to visit Dublin later this year when I hope we will have a further opportunity to discuss these issues in detail. Dates for his visit are currently being explored.

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