The 27 EU leaders will take part in a two-day summit today and Friday.
As Ireland prepares to take the reins of the presidency of the EU, Taoiseach Micheál Martin is heading to Brussels to take part in the final meeting of the European Council under Cyprus’s presidency. The 27 EU leaders will take part in the two-day summit on Thursday and Friday. On the agenda is Ukraine, migration, the situation in the Middle East, the EU’s long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, and competitiveness across European markets. European defence and security will also be discussed – a key issue Irish leaders have faced questions on as it gears up to host world leaders and EU events over the six months from 1 July. The Taoiseach said in advance of the summit that he intends to push for “concrete EU action in response to egregious Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles”, as he said the current situation across the Middle East remains “grim”, particularly in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. Martin wrote to President of the European Council António Costa last month “reiterating out position on the EU’s approach” and looking for “urgent” discussion on this. Martin said Ireland prefers action at an EU level, which would have a greater impact.
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