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The Minister of State for European Affairs, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Dara Murphy T.D., will meet this afternoon with Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Digital Agenda, Alexander De Croo, for discussions on advancing the EU Digital Single Market and developing closer cooperation between Belgium and Ireland, and among EU Member States, on matters related to digitisation. During the meeting Deputy Prime Minister De Croo and Minister Murphy will also have an exchange of views on Brexit.
Speaking ahead of the meeting in Brussels, Minister Murphy said:
“When I was re-appointed as Minister of State in May last year, in addition to my European affairs and data protection functions, I was tasked with leading work within Government to coordinate Ireland’s positions and to engage with EU partners on the multitude of initiatives and proposals under Europe’s flagship Digital Single Market Strategy.
“The Government has identified the achievement of an ambitious EU Digital Single Market as a key priority on Ireland’s EU agenda. We very clearly see barriers to doing business digitally and across borders as barriers to the growth and jobs of tomorrow. Belgium, like Ireland, is ranked by the European Commission as a digitally high-performing country in its Digital Economy and Society Index 2017. Today’s meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister is about exploring how we can step up our cooperation as Europe collectively strives to succeed in the shift to digital.
“As in all my bilateral engagements with EU partners, I will of course discuss Brexit and Ireland’s unique concerns with Deputy Prime Minister De Croo. Given Belgium’s proximity to the United Kingdom, we will of course share many concerns in relation to Brexit and I look forward to hearing the Belgian perspective when we meet this afternoon.”