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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 7 to 12, inclusive, together.

I attended the social summit for fair jobs and growth in Gothenburg, Sweden, on 17 November, with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Affairs, Deputy Doherty, and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs, Deputy McEntee. This was organised jointly by Swedish Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, and European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker.

The social summit gathered EU leaders, social partners and other stakeholders for an open discussion on how to promote fair jobs and growth. The focus was on learning from each other's national experiences, particularly in making the most of new opportunities, and tackling common challenges for the labour markets and welfare models of today and tomorrow.

During the summit, the inter-institutional proclamation on the European pillar of social rights was signed by the Presidents of the Council, Parliament and Commission. This represents important reinforcement of political commitment by the member states and the EU institutions to supporting key social policy objectives at both national and EU levels.

The social summit was followed by a working lunch for leaders, chaired by the European Council President, Donald Tusk. This was the first in a series of discussions under his leaders' agenda, as endorsed by the European Council in October, and it focused on education and culture. While the EU has limited competence in these areas, we had constructive exchanges on how we could do more, including on initiatives such as a stronger Erasmus programme. I expect that the outcome of both the social summit and our leaders' agenda discussion will be reflected in the conclusions we adopt at the forthcoming December European Council.

I also had a meeting with the Prime Minister May in Gothenburg and reported to the House on 22 November all about this meeting. I did not have any formal meetings with other Heads of State and Government while in Gothenburg. However, I did take the opportunity, as is customary at these events, to speak with many of them on many issues in the margins of the summit and during the meals.

I have not yet had the opportunity for a formal meeting with Polish Prime Minister Szydlo. However, I did speak to her in Gothenburg, in June and October at the European Councils, and at September’s digital summit in Tallinn. We sat beside each other for one of the meals.

Ongoing political engagement with our EU and international partners remains crucial, especially as negotiations on Brexit proceed, and I will continue to take advantage of every opportunity to advance Ireland's interests with my fellow members of the European Council.

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