Ursula von der Leyen will address members of the Oireachtas today.
The European Commission President is in Dublin today to meet President Micheál D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Energy, Ukraine and Northern Ireland Protocol are all expected to be discussed.
Neale Richmond, Fine Gael’s Europe spokesperson, said it is a “really important time” for the European Commission President to visit.
“The European Commission will be pushing for more in relation to more collective effort in terms of securing energy and tougher sanctions,” he told Newstalk.
“But more importantly, implementing the sanctions that already exist against Russia; but also, more cooperation in relation to our collective security and that’s a big discussion that’s facing the European Union in the coming months and years.”
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD meets with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Dublin, 16-07-2021. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNewsMs von der Leyen will join an élite club of 23 individuals who have addressed the Oireachtas - including JFK, Nelson Mandela and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
Her predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker also gave an address in 2018 in which he praised Ireland as “most globalised country in our Union” and promised that Brussels would always put “Ireland first” in the Brexit negotiations.
Main image: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Picture by: Johanna Geron/AP/Press Association Images
