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The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan T.D., has welcomed the election of Antonio Tajani as President of the European Parliament.

Minister Flanagan said “ I welcome the election of Antonio Tajani as President of the European Parliament today and I wish President Tajani the very best for his term in office.

The next two and a half years will be a challenging period for the European Parliament, Member States and other EU Institutions alike, including issues such as, growth and jobs, security, the forthcoming EU/UK negotiations and the future of the European Union after the UK departs.

Along with the European Council and the European Commission, the European Parliament will have an important role to play in our consideration of these and other issues and I look forward to working with the new President in this regard.

I would also pay tribute to the leadership shown by Martin Schulz MEP, often in difficult circumstances, as President of the European Parliament since 2012.”