Taoiseach and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to hold talks in Dublin

By David Young, Press Association

The Taoiseach will use a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to express Ireland’s solidarity with the victims of the weekend attack on the Berlin Pride festival.

Mr Merz will hold talks with Micheál Martin on a visit to Dublin on Tuesday.

The meeting comes during Ireland’s six-month presidency of the EU Council.

Martin said the engagement would focus on “some of the biggest challenges” facing the bloc, including the ongoing wrangle between member states on the size of the EU’s long-term budget.

Germany is one of several nations pressing for a smaller settlement than the proposed €2 trillion spending plan.

The meeting comes days after the terror attack at the Berlin Pride festival that killed one person and injured at least 29 others.

The attacker drove a van into a crowd of people, killing one person, before he stabbed others with a machete.

The suspect, named as Abdul Ballout, was shot dead by police on Sunday after being on the run for nearly 24 hours. Ballout had reported links to the so-called Islamic State group.

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Mr Merz, the Taoiseach said: “I will express the solidarity of the Irish people with the victims of the horrific attack on the Pride parade in Berlin at the weekend.

“The European Union is a community of values, chief among them respect for human dignity and equality and the rights of minorities. What happened in Berlin goes against everything that we stand for, and we must never accept, normalise or tolerate it.

“The European Union has a full and busy agenda ahead of it in the coming months, and I look forward to discussing some of the biggest challenges with the chancellor.

“We need negotiations on the European Union’s next long-term budget to reach agreement as soon as possible. I will be listening carefully to the chancellor’s position and discussing with him how we can reach the necessary compromises.

“We will also discuss strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, including the work the Irish presidency is doing to simplify rules, deepen the single market, widen trading links, address energy costs and make sure we are ready for the climate and digital transitions.

“Enlargement is a priority issue for the Irish presidency, and I will discuss with the chancellor how we can make further progress in the period ahead.”