Ireland and France agree to work on joint ‘action plan’

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Ireland and France have agreed to put in place an “action plan” on areas such as energy, education and research, the Taoiseach said.

Simon Harris held a bilateral meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday, where the two leaders discussed issues on the EU Council agenda ahead of their autumn meetings.

The meeting at the Elysee Palace came ahead of the appointment of a new European Commission and the term of the new European Parliament.

Thank you @EmmanuelMacron for the warm welcome and an excellent meeting.

Un grand merci @EmmanuelMacron pour un acceuil chaleureux ainsi qu’une excellente rencontre. pic.twitter.com/kPkDQbNlRx

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 27, 2024

Mr Harris said he had a “long and substantial conversation” with the French leader on bilateral matters.

He said: “We have both agreed that we want to see a new action plan between Ireland and France put in place for next year.

“We’ve asked our teams to now begin working on areas where Ireland and France could work and collaborate.

“I think there’s a number of obvious areas, the area around energy issues, around education, student mobility, research, so we’ll ask our teams now to intensively engage on that.”

Mr Harris told reporters that he discussed the bloc’s competitiveness with Mr Macron, noting that there were “real risks” of Europe getting complacent.

He said: “I want to keep investment here in Europe so that we can better fund services in Ireland and across the European Union.”

While in France, Mr Harris also met the Irish Paralympic team, saying: “What they’re going to do, I think, to inspire the next generation, it’s hard to find words and I want to wish them all the very best.”

Thrilled to join #TeamIreland in Paris this morning ahead of the 2024 @Paralympics.

Wishing our 35 phenomenal athletes who will compete across 9 sports the very best of luck - the whole country is behind you! 🇮🇪#Paris2024 #TheNextLevel pic.twitter.com/JrXUC7YYap

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 27, 2024

He said the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games gave “hope and positivity” to the world at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, adding that he had discussed support for Ukraine and the war in Gaza with Mr Macron.

The Taoiseach added: “We of course discussed the situation in the Middle East, which it’s really hard to find words to fully capture the scale of the humanitarian crisis there.

“He and I share a view that there needs to be an immediate ceasefire.

“I reiterated my view that there is an onus on the European Union and the United States to use every lever at their disposal to maximise the pressure to bring about a ceasefire and I know that President Macron is working intensively and wishes to work intensively with European partners to try and bring about a ceasefire as well.”

Mr Harris added: “The only way forward in the Middle East is obviously a two-state solution, an end to the violence, the release of all the hostages, and a major ability for aid to flow freely.”

The Irish and French leaders also discussed staying “in close contact” over the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon.