merrion street

Minister Creighton visited Berlin today for consultations on EU issues with her German counterpart, Minister for Europe, Michael Link. The two Ministers will have a bilateral meeting this afternoon followed by a working dinner which will be joined by senior representatives of the German Ministries for Finance and the Economy. The agenda for both the meeting and dinner covers the full range of issues to be dealt with during Ireland’s EU Presidency including banking union, the single market, youth unemployment and enlargement. The Ministers will also discuss current political and economic developments across the EU.

Earlier today the Minister held a working lunch with a cross party delegation from the EU Affairs Committee of the Bundestag. The lunch covered many of the same issues and allowed the Minister to put forward Irish concerns on key issues and to gain a good understanding of German parliamentary thinking.

Prior to her meeting with Minister Link, the Minister delivered an address on the Irish EU Presidency and the need for growth in Europe in front of a large audience at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Berlin (political foundation of the CDU Party). The Minister stated that:

“The over-riding focus of our Presidency is on getting the European economy back on track by improving the EU’s global competitiveness, stimulating growth and tackling unemployment.

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To achieve stability, to create jobs and to foster growth, Europe needs a stable currency union.

This means that we must continue our work to strengthen the euro zone by, among other things, giving effect to the commitment made at the June European Council to break the “vicious circle” between banking and sovereign debt.”

The Ministers programme in Berlin also included a roundtable discussion with German and Irish business representatives, German media engagements and a policy discussion with the Stiftung Neue Veranwortung, a Berlin Foundation which seeks to bring together the Public and private sectors.