The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, will this week undertake a series of bilateral engagements with EU Member States ahead of Ireland assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1st July.
Minister O’Callaghan will travel to Prague for meetings with his Czech counterparts, Lubomír Metnar, Minister of the Interior, and Jeroným Tejc, Minister for Justice.
He will then travel to Warsaw, where he will meet Waldemar Żurek, Polish Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, and Marcin Kierwiński, Minister of the Interior and Administration.
While in Poland, the Minister will visit the EU’s eastern border with Belarus, where he will receive a briefing on the current border security situation.
Discussions during the visit will focus on preparations and priorities for Ireland’s Presidency, as well as areas of mutual interest including migration, organised crime and the rule of law.
Speaking ahead of the meetings, Minister O’Callaghan said: “I look forward to meeting with my Czech and Polish counterparts and building on the already strong relationships Ireland has with both nations. During Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, our relationships with other Member States will be crucial to advancing our priorities of competitiveness, values and security.
This visit will also provide an opportunity to hear first-hand how Belarus has instrumentalised migration, unacceptably exploiting human beings for political purposes.”
Minister O’Callaghan will conclude the week in Luxembourg at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on Thursday and Friday, where he will continue bilateral engagements with a range of other Member States.
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