Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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77. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Germany; his plans to improve German-Irish relations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16878/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I was delighted to welcome Heiko Maas, the new German Minister for Foreign Affairs to Dublin on 12 April, less than a month after his appointment as foreign minister. We had a warm and constructive meeting. Germany is a hugely influential EU member state. It is Ireland’s fourth largest goods trading partner and our third most important tourism market. Having excellent working relations with Germany is a priority for us. Germany has been a consistent supporter of Ireland in the Brexit negotiations, something we greatly appreciate.Minister Maas and I discussed Brexit at some length and we had a very useful exchange on a number of international issues, including the Middle East Peace Process and EU relations with Africa, priority areas for both our countries.

To coincide with the visit I published a Comprehensive Review of our bilateral relations with Germany. I commissioned the review last year. The review process included our Embassy in Berlin, a number of Government Departments and State agencies, as well as the German authorities themselves, and the report, , makes 23 recommendations, including a proposal to open a new Consulate next year in Frankfurt.

The overarching message of the review is that notwithstanding the strength of our bilateral relationship, there is still scope to develop it further.I have, therefore, asked officials to start work immediately on the implementation of the recommendations.

Minister Maas and I agreed that formal consultations at State Secretary and Secretary General level should be held on a regular basis. While highly desirable in themselves, I see this formalised engagement as part of a wider, ongoing process of strengthening existing alliances in the European Union and building new ones.