Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his attendance at the meeting of the European Union General Affairs Council on 25 January 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3767/22]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I attended the General Affairs Council meeting on 25 January 2022 in Brussels. At the meeting, the French Presidency gave a presentation on the priorities for their presidency of the Council of the EU. The three overarching goals of the Presidency are a Sovereign Europe, a New European Model for Growth and Investment, and a ‘more human’ EU. Ireland supports the priorities of the French Presidency. I look forward to working closely with my French colleagues over the coming six months.

There was also a debate on a legislative package on reinforcing democracy and the integrity of elections. Ireland welcomes this legislative package and considers that it forms an important aspect of the European Democracy Action Plan as well as being complementary to the Government’s own plans for a new Electoral Reform Bill currently under preparation. Given the challenges facing democracies at the moment, the measures contained within this package offer an effective means of safeguarding EU values against present and future threats.

We also exchanged views on the Conference on the Future of Europe. I participated in the 3rd Conference Plenary, which took place in Strasbourg and online last weekend. Plenary members discussed and debated recommendations from citizens from all over Europe. These included recommendations in the areas of health, climate change, rule of law and EU Democracy. The second and conclusive phase of Ireland’s national programme of regional consultations will soon commence and I also look forward to Dublin hosting Citizens’ Panel 1 in late February.

On EU-UK relations, the General Affairs Council received an update from Commission Vice President Maroš Šefcovic on the current state of play in EU-UK relations. Ministers were briefed on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and Vice-President Šefcovic‘s meetings with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on 13–14 January and 24 January. I expressed my strong support for the Commission’s approach to resolving outstanding issues in relation to the Protocol.

Ministers also discussed the EU’s coordination on the Covid-19 pandemic, including Digital COVID Certificates and travel-related matters.