Taoiseach Micheál Martin is set to discuss issues like fuel costs and conflicts as he meets with German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz in Berlin today.
The Taoiseach is to meet with the Chancellor as part of his programme of meeting with EU leaders ahead of Ireland's Presidency of the EU Council. They will discuss Ireland's presidency as well as a series of international issues and bilateral relations.
Mr Martin is to outline Ireland's priorities, which are to include competitiveness, EU enlargement, along with security and defence. The pair are also expected to discuss fuel costs amid the ongoing energy crisis brought about by the Iran war despite a fragile ceasefire, as well as the issues in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
These part of a number of meetings that Mr Martin is to have with many individual EU leaders ahead of Ireland assuming the presidency on July 1. Chancellor Merz is also expected to state Germany's hopes and expectations for the Irish presidency.
The Taoiseach and Chancellor share a common goal of boosting European competitiveness and strengthening the EU's single market.
However, they appear to hold different views on how an EU-wide capital markets union should be supervised.
The European Commission is to bring forward a new package of measures regarding fuel prices, which will also be addressed by leaders on Thursday at an informal EU summit in Nicosia under the Cyprus presidency.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is to also join other EU leaders on a video call led by French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss online safety and child protection.
Earlier today, Fianna Fáil TD, Malcolm Byrne said that the Taoiseach could have shown "more empathy" during the fuel price protests.
This comes after Mr Martin held a meeting with three Fianna Fáil TDs Albert Dolan, Ryan O'Meara and James O'Connor over the response to this crisis.
The trio had released a statement saying "the social contract was strained to breaking point". They said that it should not require a protest for the government to act.
"I think, in terms of the tone from, and I certainly don't personalise it, but the Taoiseach and some of the ministers, I think it could have been a case of more empathy being shown and more understanding, because I do know that they get it", he said. "We got certain things wrong in terms of our approach last week", Mr Byrne said earlier today.
More on this from Nova here.
