Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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159. To ask the Taoiseach the extent to which he has had dialogue with his fellow heads of state at the recent meeting in Prague; and if distinctive action was agreed in respect of applicant countries for EU membership. [50287/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I attended an informal meeting of the members of the European Council in Prague on 7 October.

Leaders discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and the impact it is having on energy prices in Europe.

We were joined in this discussion by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video conference.

We welcomed the adoption of an eighth package of sanctions against Russia adopted on 6 October in response to Russia’s illegitimate referenda and illegal annexations in Ukraine.

We also discussed military and financial support to Ukraine as well as the importance of countering Russian narratives about its war in Ukraine. We confirmed our resolve to support partners across the world in tackling food security issues.

The issue of EU enlargement was not specifically on the agenda of this meeting.

The day prior, on 6 October, I attended the first meeting of the European Political Community, a gathering of leaders from 44 countries from the wider European continent, to discuss issues of common interest and concern, such as the war in Ukraine and energy security. It was not an EU meeting, and its focus was not on the process of EU accession.

In the margins of the meeting, however, I had bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, and Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šefik Džaferoviæ. In all of those meetings, I expressed my support for the distinctive EU accession pathway of each country.