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The Minister for European Affairs, Helen McEntee T.D., underlined in Brussels today the responsibility of the UK to propose workable solutions on how to avoid a hard border. The Minister was setting out Ireland's perspectives on the Brexit negotiations at a meeting with her European colleagues.

Noting the restatement in Prime Minister May's Florence speech of the UK's overall political commitment to resolving the Irish specific issues presented by Brexit, the Minister said it "is vital that this commitment is now translated into practical and substantial progress across the negotiating table in Brussels."

Earlier, in a discussion on the EU's legislative programme, Minister McEntee, urged the completion of the Digital Single Market as a priority. "We really need to keep the Digital Single Market at the very top of our political agenda. The reality is that barriers to doing business digitally and across borders are now barriers to growth. "

The Minister also warned that the EU should not try to supplant efforts by the OECD to reform the taxation of digital businesses at a global level and reiterated that any attempt to move from unanimity to qualified majority voting in Europe on taxation would be firmly opposed by Ireland.