merrion street

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, will meet the Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, in Dublin Castle today.

The Chancellor’s visit coincides with the start of Austria’s six-month Presidency of the European Council. The two leaders will discuss bilateral relations along with Brexit, international trade, the EU’s budget, the Western Balkans and migration, as well as the priorities for the Austrian Presidency.

The meeting will be followed by a dinner in honour of the Chancellor, hosted by the Taoiseach, in the State Apartments in Dublin Castle.

Tomorrow (Monday) the Chancellor will visit the border, accompanied by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed.

Speaking in advance of the visit, the Taoiseach said:

“Chancellor Kurz is a strong supporter of Ireland and our priorities in the Brexit negotiations. Earlier this year I visited him in Vienna and I’m looking forward to welcoming him back to Dublin today.

“This is an important opportunity to hold in-depth discussions on major issues like Brexit at the start of the Austrian Presidency of the EU Council, and ahead of his visit to the border on Monday morning. We’ll also be discussing other issues on the EU agenda such as international trade, relations with the enlargement of the EU into the Western Balkans, and the EU’s future 2020 budget including the CAP which is important to both countries given our large agricultural sectors and rural communities.

“Ireland and Austria are close partners within the EU and have much in common. We have strong and open economies, and we are committed to economic progress and free trade. We are both neutral countries with large neighbours who also participate in European security co-operation through PESCO. Chancellor Kurz is one of several EU leaders who came to Ireland as a student to learn Irish, and I hope he enjoys this return visit.”