The Government will hold a series of joint meetings with the European Commission in Cork today as Ireland’s EU Presidency gets under way.
Last night, Taoiseach Micheál Martin officially welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to his native city ahead of the meetings.
She was also greeted by Lord Mayor of Cork Damian Boylan and was presented with a vase etched with the slogan for Ireland’s presidency – “Ní neart go cur le chéile – Strength with unity”.
As she arrived in Cork, President von der Leyen posted on social media that Ireland had built one of the EU’s most dynamic and innovative economies, and had a talent for breaking frontiers and brokering deals.
She, and the other 26 EU commissioners, were given a tour of the Tyndall Institute, which is Ireland’s largest deep-tech research centre. They were shown the institute’s work on semiconductors, advanced materials and space.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was presented with an engraved vase
This morning, Government ministers and European commissioners will hold thematic clusters of meetings based around the Government’s presidency priorities, namely competitiveness, security and values.
Later there will be a full plenary session involving the Cabinet and the college of 27 commissioners.
Ahead of the meeting, the Taoiseach said he would raise the issue of what he called Israel’s persistent and egregious breaches of human rights and international law.
President von der Leyen has often been accused of exhibiting too much leniency towards Israel and this could be a point of contention during the meetings.
The Taoiseach has said that several member states have different views on the Middle East conflict to Ireland – that observation could also extend to Ms von der Leyen.
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