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

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 10, go huile, le chéile.

I attended a special meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 9 and 10 February. The agenda covered Ukraine, the economy and migration. We also touched on relations between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as the tragic earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joined leaders in Brussels, meeting with all his EU counterparts in groups. In my engagement with him, I reiterated Ireland’s commitment to standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes. President Zelenskyy also joined us for the start of the European Council meeting. As we approached the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he thanked the EU for the assistance and support given to Ukraine and its people. In addition to expressing our commitment to Ukraine’s political, economic, humanitarian and other needs, we acknowledged the considerable efforts Ukraine is making to ensure it is prepared for the opening of accession negotiations with the European Union. This is especially impressive under the exceptionally difficult circumstances it faces.

The European Council discussed the economic situation in the EU and how to ensure the region’s long-term competitiveness, prosperity and international standing. We will return to this important discussion when we next meet in March.

We discussed migration, focusing in particular on the external dimension, where we agreed on the need to strengthen our external borders, engage better with countries of origin and transit and more effectively deal with people involved in trafficking and smuggling.

We expressed our deepest condolences to the victims of the tragic earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and pledged humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering in all affected regions.

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