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Updated 2 pm
LEO VARADKAR HAS met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as part of his first visit to Berlin since being elected Taoiseach.
After their meeting, the pair held a joint press conference in the German capital at which the ongoing Brexit negotiations were the primary focus.
Ahead of the meeting, the Taoiseach’s department said discussions would focus on the agenda for this week’s meeting of the European Council which includes Brexit, trade and digital taxation.
Germany is Ireland’s second largest source of inward investment, third largest source of tourists, fourth largest overall trading partner, and fifth largest food export market.
Speaking ahead of his visit, Varadkar said: “I look forward to my first visit to Berlin as Taoiseach, and to congratulating the Chancellor on her re-election. We have a lot of work to do together, both bilaterally and within our shared European Union.”
The meeting also comes a day after the EU and the UK agreed that the so-called backstop for the Irish border, agreed in December, must be made legally binding.
The backstop option would mean alignment between the north and south for customs, VAT, energy, regulations for the protection of the environment and laws governing agriculture and fisheries. Northern Ireland would also have to adhere to EU rules on State Aid and would be under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in those aforementioned areas.
The backstop agreement was known as ‘Option C’ with regard to the Northern Irish border – one of three options laid out in the Joint Report agreed by the UK and the EU in December.
- With reporting by Rónán Duffy
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Off to ask the masters how he should govern.
@Mumpsimus: You sir will never be accused of being intellectual in your posts.
@Donal Hanley: hope he didn’t influence a planning permission on behalf of Angela
If he did he should keep quiet about it
@trebloc01: imagine the indignation from FG if a FF Taoiseach attempted that. There would be brown envelope accusations etc … but then again, vulture funds don’t even have to produce brown envelopes to get FG onside.
@Donal Hanley: You know you are in the wrong place if you are looking for intellectuall posts in the Journal. Says more about your intelligence to fair.
@Ian Kavanagh: You don’t seem to understand that what Leo did as Minister for tourism was 100% proper and indeed necessary. His mistake was the attempt at humour in DC. Normal people will understand that as is evidenced by his soaring popularity.
@Donal Hanley:
Another fawning sycophant.
@Mumpsimus: first question do i bend over now or get a stupid gaff in first.
@Charles Alexander: Did I get my analysis wrong? Pease elucidate.
@Charles Alexander:
Lol. Speaking of which the Fine Goonie squad are quiet this morning. Must be an early meeting at HQ today.
@Donal Hanley: He lied, that is his mistake. He told the whole story around that phone call. Did he?
@Dave Doyle: *Never told*
@Donal Hanley:
I wasn’t talking about your analysis, I’m talking about your the fawning, sycophantic manner in which you posted it.
@Donal Hanley:
I was actually commenting on the fawning, sycophantic manner of your analysis not the analysis itself.
@Donal Hanley: Stop will ya. It’s gut-wrenching.
You have to find this story in a UK newspaper. Your spinsters haven’t much sway over there. Or here for that matter. Leo is Donald’s little man.
”Leo Varadkar passed a request from Donald Trump’s hotel for state assistance in meeting a €1m storm-damage bill to a fellow minister, weeks after Trump had asked him to intervene in a local planning dispute.”
@The Irish Bull: You will find in this morning’s English papers that May is under attack from her own back benches for conceding too much on Ireland and fishing. Try and keep up yo date.
@Dave Doyle: Leo the legend doing us proud yet again :)
#FeelingGoodWithFineGael
@Charles Alexander: Ah your in danger of repeating yourself Charlie. Maybe you think it’s worth saying twice. There’s free speech for you.
@Donal Hanley: You must be on his payroll.
@Dave Doyle: A lapse of memory is not a lie.
@Sean Conway: On his payroll at 78 years of age??
@Donal Hanley: “A lapse of memory is not a lie.”
He made a mistake LOL :-) The default excuse for dodgy politicians and dodgrey parties in this country. You do know that was the same excuse your coalition partners FF used after screwing the country, ditto Labour.
Silly FGer’s and their silliness.
@Donal
I thought it was worth posting twice.
Did you mean ‘you’re’ as opposed to ‘your’?
@Donal Hanley: The y is obviously too close to the t for your bludgeoning fingers.
@Donal Hanley: Do you not think he’s trying to control us rather than lead us?
@Donal Hanley: You can call it mature recollection if you want. It’s still a lie.
@Donal Hanley: Donal, just remove your tongue from Leo’s derriere and you’ll be grand.
@Charles Alexander: Guilty like most of our people but no sycophant as there is no reward for me.
@Donal Hanley: Are you sure you don’t mean ejaculate? It’s what your colleague in the fraperoom, Frank Murphy seems to be doing a lot.
@frank murphy: your a hoot you should become a comedian
@Dave Doyle: Ah so that’s how you think. A lot of rubbish commentators like you frequent these columns unfortunately.
@Donal Hanley: Yeah i know, i’m replying to one of them.
@Donal Hanley: Not under attack for Ireland, but yes for fishing.
@Paul Fahey: Wrong as usual
@The Irish Bull: File gaff under probably best not say again and move on. No? Isn’t that what usually happens? The fact that he hadn’t a problem using a state body to intervene on his behalf probably points to a norm amongst his peers. I’m involved in stopping school playing fields being sold off to developers buddies. Most people think I’m right but it will happen anyway as its just the way thing are in Ireland. Yeah, corrupt! Time for another planning tribunal but this time where state departments are held responsible for “little favours” they make in the interest of their friends.
@Donal Hanley: ah poor boy, here are the front pages of the UK papers for you. It may not help your hard on for Coveney, but I am sure you can revert to the photo at your desk:
@Mumpsimus: couldnt ask a better woman…
@Donal Hanley: do you even know what “commentators” do? Well it is not people who post comments on a news article. Jeez.
@Mumpsimus: First thing she’ll tell him is recruit more Garda, and don’t go in to a Lidl, you’re barred.
@Donal Hanley: its an accurate comment though
@frank murphy: vomit….
@Charles Alexander: another moaner with no solutions
Leo is reported as being ‘a bit nervous as I don’t often have to talk to grown ups’. I wonder if the meeting will be behind closed doors to prevent any embarrassment for Angela being seen with him.
@Aussiemandias: going to see his boss in Germany, such a lightweight leader!
@Gus Sheridan: he is embarrassingly light weight, but I see the E.U more as Creche workers than bosses. As soon as they turn their back we’re running with scissors and eating the play dough
@Aussiemandias: I hope he doesen’t mention the ‘war’ or try to impress her with his Ministry of Funny Walks routine….fingers crossed.
First trip to Germany. Well I suppose Merkel isn’t as “cool” as Macron and Trudeau and Trump even!
@Adrian: Merkel only got elected recently , even though election was last September, maybe that’s the reason. She almost like Putin and there nearly as long especially when you remember Putin stepped aside from 2008 to 2012 whereas Merkel was in power during this time. Germany’s next leader will be the ayatollah germania.
@john bennett: Merkel, like Varadkar, only has the loan of the position courtesy of a bunch of cowards.
Leo Varadkar’s most recent Google search, “what famous people, live in or near Berlin Germany?”
Because he has got to fill up that celebrity photo scrap book!
:-)
Wow, that corruption scandal got buried fairly fast. Guess thats what 5 million of taxpayers money gets ya.
@Change Everything: when u have the msm in ur pocket its pretty easy to bury it.
@Change Everything: Yes indeed and a few media stories on SF being up to no good. It never seems to fail on the journal . The FG toddlers seem to jump all over them with their faux outrage. The media in Ireland are a complete joke, bought and paid for entirely.
@Gerard McConnell: yeah theyre predictable alright the media…they focus on certain things without having a clear editorial path but then you wouldn’t want the indo type of journalism to rule the roost either…
Any parades on in Berlin?
@Willy Malone: not since the 1940,s
@Willy Malone: Will he visit the Kit Kat club.
Try not to stick your novelty socked foot in in again leo.
@blue exile: seriously, are people still going on about the sock thing?
@Sam Harms: yes. And his embarrassing “love actually” moment in london and his windfarm gaff in washington…. showing his immaturity on the world stage a bit too often.
@blue exile: oh .and his “pissing” comment while in the U.S. very statesmanlike.
@Greg Cavey: thats a juicy one if true !
@Sam Harms: Only embittered shinner types. Sad really.
What did the world do to deserve them to two.
@Braonain Proinseas: Leo is a more presentable leader than the guy in the Park.
@Braonain Proinseas: so who should be the leaders of their respective countries? Go on…
Hard to think you could follow up on Enda Kenny!
@The Irish Bull: I’ll be the first to admit that Kenny gave a prettyimpressive speech on his last trip to Washington despite him never having the balls to do so at home for some reason. There was actually a flicker of leadership there for a brief second. Poor auld Leo though.. Jesus wept…It was like sending a nine year old girl to meet Harry Styles …
German flag socks at the ready
@Tom Harpur: I just hope he doesn’t decide to go retro and bring the red socks with the little black swastikas. (An Allo Allo reference)
Great idea for Leo to go and meet Merkel. Germany is a major trading partner and there are more opportunities to explore with Germany. best of luck Leo & Co !
@gregory: at last, a comment that isn’t snide and derisory! Meeting Merkel when Ireland needs the backing of Europe regarding the border,trade etc is a smart thing to do you pack of begrudgers. Any reason at all to spout bile. The Journal comments section has turned into little more than an online spittoon
@Bridget O’Hanlon: it always has been. Its like a petri dish of the most extreme views, gives a good insight into what we could become. Thankfully most sane and rational folk dont have time to be commenting on here.
@Bridget O’Hanlon: finally a decent comment. I’d almost given up…
@gregory: finally a mature positive comment
So many of us moan about the EU – and blame it for all our woes – yet over 83% voted to join the EEC! We were chomping at the bit to get in…
@Maxwell Eddizon: only an idiot would say today’s EU resembles the original EEC.
@Maxwell Eddizon: I voted yes because I thought they’d have to get rid of the extra tax on cars. I’m sure the country would have jumped ship in 2008, but we didn’t have the balls, we rely too much on handouts. Beggars of Europe.
@Ian Kavanagh: And we had a direct involvement and say in all changes…
@Maxwell Eddizon: we noted to join the EEC…….NOT….. the Fourth Reich, the EU, big difference
@Gus Sheridan: voted…
@Gus Sheridan: But we had a say in all changes! Even a veto…
Its all down hill from here on
@Maxwell Eddizon: We were blatantly lied to about the future implications of the Lisbon Treaty and scare mongered into voting for it the second time, especially by our own politicians who betrayed us and continue to do so in serving the EU and not the Irish people
@Ian Kavanagh: give us back the old EEC, and start again, from the Iron Curtain to the Channel. Well that was the time, no troubles for the EEC.No border problems, still free travel in Europe, even with an EEC identity card. No 8 amendment, condoms, abortion, devorce etc. That were the good times, LSD, SEX and Rock an Roll. Lets go back
@Maxwell Eddizon: ROFL
@Maxwell Eddizon: big difference in the eec to the eu
@Maxwell Eddizon: we didnt sign up for the EU Reich, the EEC is what was signed for,
@Maxwell Eddizon: crap
@Maxwell Eddizon: “we had a direct involvement and say in all changes”
You actually believe that?! We no more had a direct say than we had a direct say in the recent decision to join Pesco.
Our FF/FG servants of Brussels decided that without asking us. It wasn’t in any manifesto.
velcome my little pixie
Why did Richard Bruton waste our money on a pre paddy week tour there last week?
@Melissa O’Callaghan: Big Data.
@Melissa O’Callaghan: because it’s time to move on after Brexit and find new partners. There’s a lot of business in Germany. But maybe you don’t realise that…
@Melissa O’Callaghan: you obviously have no clue why
Big mistake to judge the ‘backstop’ as a final solution, it is tempory until after brexit when the UK will change their minds. If Leo was really serious he would be pushing hard among his EU colleagues for a united Ireland ‘warts and all”…the only position with a lasting sustainable outcome.
@Chris Kirk: You sure you want to use the phrase “final solution” on an article about Germany?
@Chris Kirk: If the UK sign the Agreement the back stop would be legally binding. They would have no choice because even the UK courts would rule against them if they renaged on the conditions. What the UK Government are hoping in some wildly optimistic way is that it won’t come to having to use it.
@Dazz: Sorry boss, turned off the gas…..
@Mick Jordan: Well I think that you answered your own question, the UK government have no intention of allowing Ireland interfere with brexit, Theresa May even said it last week in parliament ‘than no British prime minister would agree to allowing a border down the Irish sea between Britain and Ireland.. So what is the answer after 2020 when brexit really doeas mean brexit. All these agreements will then become past tense and Ireland will be stuck with what they have failed to secure.
Go for the united Ireland option before the door slams in our face, again.
@Chris Kirk: upUnited Ireland? You forgot to ask the people who actually live in NI, and why would they want to join a basket case of a country, corrupt, third world health service….?
All the photos, major photo opp there for Leo!
@Adrian: Hands in normal position.
Leo is playing a blinder internationally. He is the leader we need. You can see he is very well received and I trust him to get the economy growing further and getting us new business.
@IrishLiberal: just a pity he can’t tell which tri colour is which when posting on Twitter Irish or ivory coast
@IrishLiberal: have you ever considered a career in the entertainment industry , you are so funny
Leo nearly as bad, nearly I say at brown nosing as Enda the gutless
Leo, needs to put a sock in it!!!!!!!!
Check out Berghain…worth the 3 hour queue.
I wonder how safe Leo feels in Germanistan.
Holiday home in Ireland.No problem.
Are the comments just cymical without much depth of political thought just bashing without any attempt at growth etc…
Loving the keyboard warrior comments
@John Keogh: Loving the hurlers on the ditch.
“I am reminded of the scene from Das Boot…”
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