THE TAOISEACH WILL hold a bilateral meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today in Cork.

Alongside the meeting, a series of joint meetings with European Commissioners is taking place with cabinet ministers. 

The thematic cluster meetings based around the government’s presidency priorities are currently underway. 

Later there will be a full plenary session involving the cabinet and the college of 27 commissioners.

The EU Commission president landed in Cork on Thursday afternoon. 

Ireland officially took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Wednesday, with a ceremony at Dublin Castle attended by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Martin and Lord and the Mayor of Cork Damian Boylan greeted von der Leyen at City Hall on Thursday afternoon. 

At an event in the Main Quadrangle of University College Cork (UCC) on Thursday evening Martin introduced Irish government ministers to von der Leyen, and she presented the EU commissioners to him.

Israel to be raised with von der Leyen

Ahead of meeting von der Leyen, Martin said he plans to raise “Israel’s persistent and egregious breaches of human rights and international law”.

Asked about this statement by reporters on Thursday, he said: “It’s not dependent on the presidency alone that we raise these issues.”

He said there has been “a lot of progress at the Foreign Affairs Council recently”, but added there are “quite a number” of EU countries who have “different views to Ireland” on “the Palestinian issue and Palestinians’ right to self-determination”.

He added: “The issue of trade with the occupied territories is one that can be dealt with and should be dealt with at a pan-European Union level.”

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Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said recently that in her view, it is “more possible” to secure an agreement to ban trade with illegally occupied territories rather than secure a complete suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 

Speaking to reporters this morning at UCC, McEntee said the commission has not yet put forward their proposals. 

She said there may be number measures put on the table, stating that it is important that there is an opportunity to discuss these. 

“My intention is that we would vote on these as soon as possible. We’ve obviously been advocating for the strongest possible response, that would be the suspension of the association agreement. You could suspend the trade element of the association agreement, but I don’t agree that banning goods or services trade overall in the occupied territories is simply symbolic,” she said. 

She said 27 member states deciding possibly that they would ban trade in the occupied territories is quite a “significant move”.

“It is not something that has ever happened before,” she added.

“The intention behind it is quite simple: it’s to change the actions of the current Israeli government, who are intent on moving ahead in what is a very clear attempt to disrupt any future prospect of a two-state solution.

“All 27 member states have agreed that the only prospect of peace in the region is through a two-state solution, and the more that we have these illegal settlements continue in the way that they are, they are permanent settlements, these are not encampments or tents, these are towns and villages and cities that are being developed. The longer this goes on, the less likely a two-state solution is viable, and that impact for the region for decades to come is absolutely immense,” said McEntee.

“We have to do everything that we can. That’s why we’re advocating for the strongest possible measure. Again, unfortunately, I don’t believe at the moment there is a consensus, but I would ask colleagues, and I will be saying this at the next meeting, we have a UN report, an independently verified report that is now saying that the Israeli Defense Forces, that the Israeli government are targeting children, not prior to the ceasefire, but post the ceasefire.

“We all have to stand up and listen to this. We have to take action. We have to respond to these type of actions, so that we do see a change and a different response from the Israeli government. And that’s what we’ll be advocating for. And again, that’s what I’ll be saying to colleagues here on the commission today,” said the minister.