Minister for European Affairs visits Finland

Minister of State for European Affairs and Data Protection, Dara Murphy, TD, met with his Finnish counterpart, Lenita Toivakka, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade in Helsinki today for bilateral discussions on a range of issues including the economy, Greece, Ukraine, counter-terrorism and the development of the EU’s digital single market and energy union.

Speaking after the meeting in Helsinki, Minister Murphy said:

“Finland and Ireland have a lot in common. Finland is an important partner for Ireland in the European Union and we share similar views on many of the key issues on the European agenda.”

“Minister Toivakka and I discussed developments in Greece and Ukraine, as well as the EU response to terrorism. We also discussed our common interest in the development of Europe’s digital single market and the energy union.”

Last night Minister Murphy met with members of the Irish-Finnish business network at a reception in Helsinki. This morning the Minister held meetings in the Ministry of Justice and with the Grand Committee of the Finnish Parliament, which scrutinises Finnish Government policy on EU legislative proposals.

Minister Murphy will travel to Riga this evening for meetings with the Latvian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Justice. Latvia currently holds the six month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.