Taoiseach Micheál Martin will hold talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Helsinki this morning before travelling to Warsaw this afternoon to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Today's talks form part of a series of meetings that Mr Martin is holding with EU leaders before Ireland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in July.
Speaking ahead of today’s talks, the Taoiseach said:
"My meetings today in Helsinki and Warsaw are important opportunities to hear from my EU colleagues on their policy priorities and interests as we get closer to Ireland's EU Presidency. We have a very busy agenda ahead of us."
Priorities for the six months of Ireland’s presidency include security and defence policy, the bloc’s competitiveness and boosting the rule-of-law.
Advancing the speed of EU enlargement, a decades-old project to expand membership to Western Balkans countries, and more recently to Ukraine and Moldova, is also expected to be a key focus.
Ireland’s eight presidency comes at a challenging time for the bloc as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and transatlantic relations remain strained.
The war in the Middle East has pushed up energy and fuel prices in Europe, and has brought with it the risk of rising inflation.
Competitiveness has been a growing concern for the bloc in recent years, highlighted by the Draghi report in 2024.
Struggling with weak productivity growth and gaps in tech innovation, the European Commission is on a mission to make the EU more competitive and integrated as an economic bloc, and one that cuts red tape in the process.
In both Helsinki and Warsaw today, Mr Martin will meet the leaders of two countries that have prioritised defence spending since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
One year later, Finland joined NATO, while Poland, a NATO member since 1999, is now spending close to 5% of its annual GDP on defence.
The Taoiseach said that he would reiterate Ireland’s "unwavering support" for Ukraine during his meetings with Mr Orpo and Mr Tusk today.
"Both Finland and Poland have been resolute in their support for Ukraine and in responding to the threat from Russia," he said.
Mr Martin will also discuss the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and its economic impact on Europe.
