Minister Carroll MacNeill to attend Informal General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels

Minister of State with responsibility for EU Affairs & Defence, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, will represent Ireland at the Informal EU General Affairs Council (GAC) meeting in Brussels hosted by the Belgian Presidency.

On the evening of Monday 29 April, the informal GAC will start with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement, when 10 new Member States joined the European Union under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The agenda for the informal meeting will address rule of law issues, including in relation to candidate countries, and will also include a discussion on the Future of Europe. On the margins of the Informal GAC, Minister Carroll MacNeill will meet with Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Minister Delegate for Europe.

Following the Informal GAC, Minister Barrot will host the EU Atlantic Ministerial meeting, bringing together Ministers from Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal as well as Ireland and France, which Minister Carroll MacNeill will attend.

Speaking ahead of the General Affairs Council meeting, Minister Carroll MacNeill said:

“The future enlargement of the EU is ultimately in all our interests. Enlargement will help to fashion a more secure, prosperous and united continent. The EU has managed previous waves of enlargement very successfully and I am confident we can do so again with the right measure of planning and pragmatism.

So, I look forward to discussing Future of Europe issues with my colleagues and particularly the internal changes we may need to make to prepare the Union for future enlargement. As a strong supporter of Enlargement, we recognise this is necessary and will impact both existing policies and the EU Budget as well as how we conduct our business.

On the Rule of Law, Minister Carroll MacNeill said:

“Ireland is a very strong supporter of the Rule of Law as a fundamental value of the EU.

I am looking forward to engaging with our European partners on how we can strengthen rule of law mechanisms within the Union as well as within the accession process. It’s so important that we do all we can to assist those countries seeking to join the EU in fully meeting the rigorous requirements which have to be obtained in respect of Rule of Law.”

ENDS

Press Office

28 April 2024

Note to Editors:

On 1st May 2004 the ten countries that joined the European Union were Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.