James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his attendance at the recent European Union General Affairs Council. [48982/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My colleague, Minister of State Byrne, attended the General Affairs Council meeting on 20 September 2022 in Brussels. Among the items discussed was preparation for the European Council meeting on 20-21 October. At the European Council, Leaders will discuss Russia/Ukraine, energy, the economic situation and external relations.

Ministers also received an overview of the key priorities that the Czech Presidency has identified. Five linked priority areas have been earmarked, covering areas from Ukraine’s post-war recovery, to energy security and the strategic resilience of the European economy. Ireland is supportive of these priorities and I value the responsiveness to the current EU context that informs them. I look forward to working closely with Czech Presidency in the coming months.

On EU-UK relations, the General Affairs Council received an update from Commission Vice President Maroš Šefcovic on the current state of play, including on recent statements by UK Prime Minister Truss and engagements with UK interlocutors. Minister Byrne expressed his thanks to Vice President Šefcovic for his continued efforts and reiterated the Government's strong support for the Commission’s approach.

In relation to the Annual Rule of Law item, Ministers engaged in a horizontal discussion on the rule of law in the EU, based on the Commission’s Annual Rule of Law Report 2022. Minister Byrne thanked the Commission for the Report and emphasised the importance of the annual rule of law dialogue. Minister Byrne reiterated that Ireland shares the view that the EU and Member States must ensure our internal rule of law situation is in good order if we are to be credible when asking others, particularly States who aspire to join the EU, to demonstrate adherence to foundational European values.

Ministers also discussed follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe with discussion focused on the possible use of passerelleclauses, Member State reactions to the State of the Union address by President von der Leyen and greater involvement of citizens in EU decision-making processes. The Council will continue discussions in the coming months on follow-up to Conference proposals and recommendations, the vast majority of which can be implemented within the existing Treaty framework. Ministers were also informed about the follow-up event to the Conference that will take place in Brussels in December 2022, when each of the Institutions will outline what they have done to implement the proposals to date.

Finally, under Legislative Programming, the General Affairs Council received an overview of the 2022 Strategic Foresight Report and the Commission President’s Letter of Intent, highlighting a number of priorities which will guide the preparation of the forthcoming 2023 Commission work programme.