Taoiseach Simon Harris attending informal European Council

“Following one of the largest exercises in democracy, I look forward to joining my fellow EU leaders to consider collectively the outcome of the elections for the European Parliament and what they mean for the future work of the EU.

“The Institutions of the EU will be central to addressing the challenges faced by all Europeans and to delivering common solutions. It is therefore incumbent on us as the leaders of the Member States to nominate the right team to lead these institutions for the next five years, taking into account the democratic wishes of our citizens as expressed in the European elections.

“Europe is facing many challenges and great uncertainties. War is waging on our continent as Russia’s continues its relentless aggression against Ukraine. The conflict in the Middle East is having a devastating humanitarian impact in Gaza and causing dangerous instability in the region. Climate change is gravely damaging the health of our planet and impacting on people all around the world.

“It is therefore imperative that we, as the European Council complete our work on the appointments to the EU Institutions as quickly as possible and encourage the new European Parliament to do so also. The people of Europe need and deserve stability and direction if we are to tackle these many complex challenges that require collective action.”