Simon Harris to attend his first EU summit as Taoiseach

Simon Harris will attend his first EU summit as Taoiseach in Brussels later this evening, as leaders gather for two days of discussions dominated by the crisis in the Middle East, as well as on plans to deepen the EU’s single market.

Tonight, leaders will focus on Iran’s attack on Israel on Saturday, as well as the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, while tomorrow they will focus on the EU’s competitiveness both within the single market and globally.

This two-day summit was called to discuss competitiveness within the EU’s single market, but once again it is being overshadowed by events in the Middle East.

Last night, a number of EU foreign ministers called for sanctions against Iran to be expanded following its massive drone and missile attack against Israel on Saturday.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has asked officials to draw up plans to expand the existing sanctions regime which focuses on Iran’s drone supplies to Russia, which Moscow is using to devastating effect in Ukraine.

The EU will also draw up a separate list of sanctions targeting Iran over its supplies of weaponry to proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

However, member states have resisted suggestions that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, a parallel army which supports such proxy groups, be designated a terrorist organisation.

In their discussions this evening, EU leaders will seek ways of holding Iran to account, but in a way that does not further escalate tensions in the region or scupper diplomatic links with Tehran.

Mr Harris is likely to discuss with a group of leaders the issue of recognising Palestinian statehood.

However, the Government accepts that this is not something the EU as a whole is yet ready to do.