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Minister calls for balanced EU budget and progress on trade agreements
The Minister for European Affairs, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Dara Murphy T.D., today represented Ireland at a meeting of the General Affairs Council in Luxembourg where Ministers discussed the mid-term review of the EU’s multiannual budgetary framework for 2014-2020 and also finalised preparations for this week’s meeting of the European Council.
Leaders from the EU’s 28 Member States will assemble in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for a summit focused on migration, trade issues and external relations.
Speaking after today’s meeting, Minister Murphy commented on the discussions on the EU budget. He stated:
“The General Affairs Council meeting today was a welcome opportunity for Ministers to debate the midterm review of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework, under which we set the priorities for spending under the EU budget.”
“In my intervention, I pointed to the real added value of the EU budget and the need for the careful balance of budgetary priorities to be maintained. The EU budget supports Europe’s competitiveness through research and innovation programmes, but importantly, through the Common Agricultural Policy, it also underpins the EU’s agri-food sector, which plays such an important role in supporting EU-wide growth and jobs.”
Looking ahead to this week’s meeting of the European Council, the Minister said:
“Today’s meeting set the scene for the EU leaders’ summit on Thursday and Friday, which will focus on trade issues, as well as migration and external relations. In our preparations for the summit at the General Affairs Council today, I set out Ireland’s clear position in support of the full provisional application of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) at the earliest opportunity, which will give rise to great new export opportunities for SMEs in Ireland and across the Union.”
“On the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), while acknowledging political uncertainties, I expressed my hope that the EU and the US would make as much progress as possible this year, and that this week’s European Council will continue to give its full support to the negotiations.”