Minister Byrne to attend informal meeting of Ministers for European Affairs
- Published on: 13 July 2022
- Last updated on: 22 July 2022
The Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, will attend an informal meeting of Ministers for European Affairs, hosted by the Czech Presidency in Prague on 14/15 July.
At the meeting, Ministers will discuss the strengthening of democratic institutions and the follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe. Ministers will also be briefed on the Czech Presidency priorities, with a focus on the work of the General Affairs Council.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Minister Byrne said:
"I would like to congratulate my Czech colleagues on taking up the Presidency of the Council of the EU. I look forward to working with my Czech counterpart, Minister Mikuláš Bek, in the General Affairs Council over the coming months on all the priorities identified by the Czech Presidency, including the continuing serious consequences of Russia’s unjustified aggression against Ukraine.
"I am looking forward to our discussions at this informal Presidency meeting, including on the Conference on the Future of Europe. I welcome this opportunity to focus on effective follow-up of the Conference final report. Ireland will be working closely with our EU partners to ensure that this process delivers benefits for our citizens.
"We will also discuss strengthening of our democratic institutions. This is a topic of vital importance and Ireland welcomes the commitment of the Czech Presidency to take this work forward during its Presidency."