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Taoiseach welcomes EU Commission President von der Leyen on inaugural visit to Dublin

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today welcomes the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to Dublin.

 

President von der Leyen is on her first official visit to Ireland, and the Taoiseach intends to discuss significant issues for Ireland such as the next stage of the Brexit negotiations, the new Common Agricultural Policy, funding for Northern Ireland and border counties, and the President’s EU Green Deal.

 

I’m very pleased to welcome President von der Leyen on her first official visit to Ireland. She’s set out an ambitious agenda for the Commission’s new term, and significantly the EU’s solid support for Ireland on Brexit is going to continue.

 

I particularly welcome her European Green Deal, which is her vision for a carbon neutral Europe by 2050.

 

I’m looking forward to discussing the next phase of Brexit negotiations, including the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and the UK. I want to ensure that CAP is adequately funded, which is really important for farmers and rural communities.

 

I’ll be raising our request for a €1 billion Peace Plus programme for Northern Ireland and the border counties, and will brief her on the breakthrough at Stormont and the restoration of power-sharing.

 

I will tell President von der Leyen that Ireland is right behind her EU Green Deal, but will also argue for a Just Transition fund to benefit locations such as the Midlands.