Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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120. To ask the Taoiseach if he has spoken collectively or on an individual basis with EU leaders since the most recent European summit. [25656/18]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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121. To ask the Taoiseach if he has written to or spoken with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Orbán, recently. [24561/18]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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122. To ask the Taoiseach if he has spoken to the Prime Minister of Italy since his appointment. [24562/18]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 to 122, inclusive, together.

I last met with Prime Minister Viktor Orban on 4 January 2018, and I reported extensively on this engagement in the Dáil on 31 January 2018. I have not met with the Prime Minister formally since then, although we both attended the Informal EU Summit and High Level Conference on the Sahel in Brussels in February, the European Council in Brussels in March, and the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia in May. I recently wrote to Mr Orban on the occasion of his re-election, and wished him well in his role as Prime Minister of Hungary.

I have not yet had an opportunity to speak with Prime Minister Conte of Italy, but I have written to congratulate him on his appointment and to wish him well in his new role. I look forward to meeting him at the European Council in Brussels later this month.

My bilateral engagement with EU and international counterparts is ongoing, and remains crucial in relation to Brexit and other important EU issues.

In this context, I look forward to meeting the new Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, in Madrid on Thursday 14 June.

I am also scheduled to meet with the President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, in Dublin on 21 June, and with the Austrian Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, in Dublin on 9 July.

In addition to such scheduled bilateral meetings, I meet and speak regularly with my EU counterparts at formal and informal meetings of the European Council, where I use every opportunity to advance Ireland's interests. I will of course attend the next meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 28 and 29 June.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Taoiseach if he has spoken to the UK Prime Minister, Mrs. May, recently in regard to the forthcoming June European Council meeting. [24565/18]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Taoiseach if he has spoken to the UK Prime Minister, Mrs. May, regarding Northern Ireland in May 2018. [24567/18]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.

I met with Prime Minister May on the margins of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 17 May.

We discussed current developments in relation to Brexit and the ongoing efforts to assist the parties in Northern Ireland to re-establish the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

Prime Minister May told me that she expected to table a new proposal on the future customs relationship between the European Union and the UK shortly. This was published as a technical note on Thursday 7 June.

At my meeting with Prime Minister May I indicated that any move on customs that keeps the UK close to the EU is to be welcomed.

I indicated that we're willing to examine the UK proposal, but we need to see it presented as a formal written proposal in the Brexit negotiations process.

I also emphasised to the Prime Minister that upholding the commitment to avoid a hard border requires progress on more than just customs.

The agreed report from December makes clear that continued alignment on both single market and customs rules is necessary. In many ways, the regulatory issues are even more important than customs here.

More generally, I made clear to the Prime Minister that Ireland would continue to insist on a legally operable backstop being in the Withdrawal Agreement. This would be in line with the commitments made by the UK in December and repeated by the Prime Minister in her letter to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, in March.

We now need to see concrete progress on the delivery of these commitments by the time of the June European Council.

I have been consistent in my message to both Prime Minister May and my fellow EU Heads of State and Government at the European Council that reintroduction of a border on the island of Ireland is not acceptable under any circumstances.

The Commission will make a first assessment of the technical and legal feasibility of the UK proposals, and whether they provide a basis for negotiation. We look forward to its assessment and to discussing whether the proposals could be helpful in meeting the UK’s repeated commitment to avoiding a hard border, and thereby making progress on the backstop on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Based on the negotiations between the UK and the Commission Taskforce in the coming days and weeks, Mr Barnier will make an assessment of progress, for consideration by the European Council on 28 and 29 June.