Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken at EU Council meetings recently regarding the need for EU reform; and his priorities on same. [1471/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The debate on the future of Europe and what direction our Union should take has been gaining pace in recent months. The European Commission published a White Paper in March 2017 on the issue and followed it up with a series of Reflection Papers on EU finances, harnessing globalisation, defence, the social dimension and completion of economic and monetary union.

In the meantime, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has launched his ‘Leaders’ Agenda’, an ambitious work programme running until the European Parliament elections in 2019 which puts the European Council at the heart of the decision-making process. The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D., is actively engaged in this process and has already contributed to discussions on education and culture, migration and completion of economic and monetary union. An informal meeting in February under the ‘Leaders’ Agenda’ will look at institutional issues and the political priorities for the multi-annual financial framework. When the Taoiseach addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg tomorrow he will be the first Head of Government to participate in a series of debates there on the future of Europe.

In November I joined the Taoiseach and the Minister of State for European Affairs, Helen McEntee T.D., in launching a citizens’ dialogue on the future of Europe and the Minister of State is currently taking this initiative forward with a series of regional consultations.

As the deputy may be aware, I set out the Government’s views on the future of Europe in a comprehensive address, ‘The Europe We Want,’ at UCD on 29 November.