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The Minister of State for European Affairs, Dara Murphy TD, today met with Guy Verhofstadt MEP, the European Parliament Coordinator on Brexit and former Prime Minister of Belgium, during a visit to the European Parliament for its monthly plenary session in Strasbourg. The Minister's visit forms part of the Government's ongoing engagement with the EU institutions and with Ireland's EU partners on Brexit.

While in Strasbourg, the Minister also met with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament's influential Constitutional Affairs Committee, MEPs Danuta Hübner and Pedro Silva Pereira, as well as with senior European Parliament representatives on Brexit Elmar Brok and Roberto Gualtieri, with the leader of the Greens Philippe Lamberts, and with Irish MEPs.

Speaking following his series of meetings in Strasbourg, the Minister said:

"Today I held a series of very constructive meetings with MEPs from across the political spectrum within the European Parliament, including with Guy Verhofstadt, the Parliament's Coordinator on Brexit, with members of the Constitutional Affairs Committee and with Irish MEPs.

"The European Parliament has a hugely important role to play in the Brexit negotiations. The Parliament's resolution on Brexit last month was very welcome and very clearly demonstrated that Ireland's unique concerns are widely understood by MEPs from right across the different political groups and from across the continent."