Ireland – Meeting between Franck Riester and Leo Varadkar (video conference, 19 April 2021)

Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will speak with Leo Varadkar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, on April 19.

While in the wake of Brexit, France has become Ireland’s closest geographical neighbor within the EU, this meeting falls within the framework of a sustained series of political dialogues and a shared determination to develop the economic and trade ties between our two countries.

Franck Riester and Leo Varadkar will discuss the priority areas of our bilateral road map, namely the digital, sustainable cities and renewable energy sectors, with a view toward the adoption of a joint action plan, agreed in principle on December 3, 2020, between Jean-Yves le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Simon Coveney, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense.

The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the consequences for travelers to Ireland arriving from France following the implementation of quarantine measures by the Irish authorities and to take stock of the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol following the unilateral British decision to extend the grace period applicable to certain goods transiting from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland until October 1. The ministers will also exchange views on key trade issues such as trans-Atlantic trade relations, relations between the EU and China and the draft EU-Mercosur agreement, which France cannot support in its current form.