merrion street

• - Minister Flanagan will meet his Austrian & Slovenian Counterparts and the Slovenian PM
• - Brexit, the future of the EU and deeper bilateral cooperation will be discussed

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, begins a two day trip to Austria and Slovenia today (Wednesday), for bilateral meetings on issues including Brexit and the future of the EU.

This afternoon, Minister Flanagan will meet with the Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Kurz, in Vienna. Minister Kurz is the leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and co-chairs the EPP group of Foreign Ministers, of which Minister Flanagan is a member.

Tomorrow Minister Flanagan travels to Ljubljana for meetings with Slovenian Prime Minister Dr. Miro Cerar and Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec. The meetings are part of an ambitious programme of bilateral engagement which the Irish government has undertaken since the UK referendum on EU membership. Minister Flanagan has had 55 meetings with Foreign Ministers from the EU26 countries to date as well as a wide range of meetings with senior EU officials and parliamentarians, UK Ministers and Ministers from partners outside the EU.

Speaking before leaving for Vienna, Minister Flanagan said:

“I am pleased to accept the invitations to visit my counterparts in Vienna and Ljubljana. Over the next two days I will have valuable opportunities to have in-depth discussions with Minister Kurz and Minister Erjavec on Brexit and on the future of the EU. I will also discuss our bilateral relationship with both countries and other areas of mutual interest.

“I look forward to meeting the Slovenian Prime Minister, Dr. Miro Cerar.

“Ahead of the beginning of the formal Brexit negotiations high level contacts are ongoing, as we continue to highlight Irish priorities and listen to our EU partners’ own priorities. While the EU 27 will act as one in the negotiations with the UK, it is nevertheless important that as partners within the EU we continue to strengthen our bilateral relationships and build on areas of co-operation.”