Written answers
Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
EU Meetings
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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98. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of formal and informal Council of the European Union meetings that have been held since 27 June 2020 under the remit of his Department; and the number of formal and informal meetings, respectively held virtually and the corresponding number held in person; if he or his predecessor attended each meeting, or a Minister of State or ambassador represented the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25673/24]
Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Environment policy issues are dealt with at EU level under the Environment Council. The Government is generally represented at Environment Council by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, or a delegated representative.
Matters in relation to the environment that fall within the policy remit of my Department, inter alia biodiversity or water quality, generally arise at Environment Council. My Department therefore liaises with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, as required, to provide briefing for agenda items under my Department's remit.
In the period 27 June 2020 to date, 14 formal Environment Council meetings (all in-person), and 8 informal Environment Council meetings (5 in-person, 3 virtual), have taken place. Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan accompanied Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan to two, in person, formal Environment Council meetings over this period, as follows:
- Formal Environment Council Meeting, 06 October 2021, Luxembourg
- Formal Environment Council Meeting, 20 June 2023, Luxembourg
Environment Council configuration (ENVI) - Consilium (europa.eu)
In recognition of the common challenges faced across all Member States in the delivery of sustainable and affordable housing, in addition to the formal Council of the European Union meetings above, I attended a number of high level informal EU Ministerial meetings on housing policy matters under the auspices of various EU Council presidencies, all of which were in-person. Details of these meetings are set out below:
- Informal Meeting of Housing Ministers, 8 March 2022, Nice, France
- Ministerial conference on combatting homelessness in the EU, 28 February 2022, Paris, France
- EU Ministerial meeting on the fight against homelessness, 8 February 2024, Brussels, Belgium.
- Informal Meeting of Housing Ministers, 5 March 2024, Liége, Belgium.
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