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Taoiseach at Tripartite Social Summit and the Spring European Council, 1/2 March
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is in Brussels today 1 March to attend the Tripartite Social Summit on Growth and Employment and the Spring European Council.
The Tripartite Social Summit will be held before the European Council meeting and will discuss the importance of social dialogue as a key instrument for restoring growth and jobs.
Discussions at the Spring European Council will focus on economic policy. This meeting will conclude the first phase of the European Semester and provide guidance to Member States on preparations for this year’s National Reform Programmes and Stability and Convergence Programmes.
Enlargement of the Schengen area and the granting of candidate status to Serbia will also feature in discussions.
The meeting will also agree EU priorities for the forthcoming G8 and G20 Summits, as well as for the Rio +20 Summit in June. In the field of foreign policy, the meeting will address developments in the Southern Neighbourhood one year on from the Arab Spring and the evolving situation in Syria.
In the margins of the European Council on 2 March, the Taoiseach will sign, subject to ratification, on behalf of Ireland, the new Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union.