Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions he has had with the Northern Executive on all island priorities for the Irish Presidency of the EU Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44882/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Our forthcoming EU Presidency is an excellent opportunity to foster closer North-South links across a wide number of areas of cooperation. This will be the first time that Ireland has held the Presidency of the EU during a time when the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are fully operational. As such, this is a unique opportunity to deepen our cooperation with the Executive, and the Deputy can be assured that the Government will maximise the benefits to be derived from this.

In discussions at recent meetings of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC), we have availed of the opportunity to set out for our Northern Ireland Executive counterparts the value of working together to gain mutual benefit from the upcoming Irish EU Presidency. It is clear to both sides that at a time when major negotiations are taking place on new transnational programmes, there is a need to deepen dialogue at all levels. Naturally the Irish EU Presidency will feature prominently among the issues to be discussed at the forthcoming plenary meeting of the NSMC on 2 November.

It was agreed at the plenary meeting on 15 June 2012 that EU matters were to be included in future as an agenda item for all relevant Ministerial meetings.

At a practical level the Government is working to involve Northern Ministers in Presidency events where this is possible. Several opportunities for Northern participation in Presidency-related events, initiatives and conferences have already been identified. Active consideration is also being given to possible participation of Northern Ministers in informal meetings and other events in the energy, justice, sport, tourism, trade and business, research and innovation and transport areas.

We have also agreed with Northern Ireland Ministers to the secondment of a small number of officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service to work in our system in the run up to and during the Presidency. We are continuing our longstanding high-level briefings for senior NI officials in regard to the priorities each EU Presidency. The most recent such briefing, in regard to the Cypriot Presidency, took place in Dublin on 5 September.