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European Council    1/12/2017  Remarks by President Donald Tusk after his meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar Good afternoon. Leo, many thanks for your warm welcome to Dublin and for your Irish hospitality. It is no secret that we discussed Brexit with a special focus on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. I came to Dublin to reassure the Taoiseach and all the Irish people that the EU is fully behind you and your request that there should be no hard border on the island of Ireland after Brexit. The Irish request is the EU’s request. Or as the Irish proverb goes: "Ni neart go cur le cheile”  (There is no strength without unity) The United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU has created uncertainty for millions of people in Europe. Perhaps, nowhere is this more visible than here. The border between Ireland and Northern Ireland is no longer a symbol of division, it is a symbol of cooperation. And we cannot allow Brexit to destroy this achievement of the Good Friday Agreement. It is the UK that started Brexit and now it is their responsibility to propose a credible commitment to do what is necessary to avoid a hard border. It is clear that we cannot reach a full agreement on every single detail at this stage, especially that the final outcome will be linked to the future relations between the EU as a whole and the UK. As you know, I asked Prime Minister May to put a final offer on the table by 4th of December so that we can assess whether sufficient progress can be made at the upcoming European Council. And we have agreed today that before proposing guidelines on transition and future relations to the leaders, I will consult the Taoiseach if the UK's offer is sufficient for the Irish government. Let me say very clearly: if the UK's offer is unacceptable for Ireland, it will also be unacceptable for the EU. I realise that for some British politicians this may be hard to understand. But such is the logic behind the fact that Ireland is an EU member while the UK is leaving. This is why the key to the UK’s future lies - in some ways - in Dublin, at least as long as Brexit negotiations continue. Thank you. 1/12/2017 | MEETING Main results - Competitiveness Council, 30/11-01/12/2017 The Council discussed the way forward for the EU's space programmes and adopted conclusions on the mid-term review of the Copernicus programme. It also adopted the conclusions "From the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 towards the ninth framework programme". Competitiveness Council, 30/11-01/12/2017 Main results EU space programmes The Council discussed the way forward for the EU's space programmes and adopted conclusions on the mid-term review of the Copernicus programme. "Today we have two EU's space flagship programmes, Galileo and Copernicus, that are delivering significant value to European citizens and to the economy. Space data has proved to have great potential for creating economic benefits and improving employment opportunities. We need to help our businesses, especially small companies and start-ups, to take advantage of this data to provide new applications and services. The Estonian Presidency has pushed for a stronger link between space and the digital economy. The world has become digital and the EU's space policy is an essential instrument for moving towards a digitalised and data-driven economy in Europe." Urve Palo, Minister for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology of Estonia Copernicus space programme: conclusions on mid-term review (press release, 01/12/2017) Research and innovation The Council discussed ways to solve global challenges in the next EU framework programme for research, development and innovation, the successor to the current Horizon 2020 programme. It adopted conclusions: "From the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 towards the ninth framework programme". "Today's debates and conclusions are meant to shape tomorrow's landscape for research and innovation. We have to increase investments and maximise the impact of results to offer advanced solutions to the challenges that our society is facing now and in the future. It is a shared responsibility to make research a real priority across the European Union if we want to increase our capacity in innovation. We have to mobilise support for research and innovation in Europe." Mailis Reps, Minister of Education and Research of Estonia From the interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 towards the ninth Framework Programme (press release, 01/12/2017) Single digital gateway The Council adopted its position (general approach) on setting up a single digital gateway which will provide online information, procedures, assistance and problem solving services to citizens and companies. "We have to make it easier for our people and companies to find the information they need, wherever in the EU they live, work or do business. Creating an online one-stop-shop is a convenient way to do that and it has been a priority for the Estonian Presidency. It is a new step towards the digitalisation of public services in cross-border situations and a further move towards making the digital Europe a reality." Kadri Simson, Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure of Estonia Digital Single Gateway: Council agrees to make access to information and services easier (press release, 30/11/2017) EU industrial strategy Ministers had a detailed discussion on the future of EU industrial policy based on a Presidency report and the regular "Competitiveness check-up" on long-term objectives for industrial policy. They were joined for the debate by a guest speaker from the coalition "#Industry4Europe", representing the interests of a large number of EU industry associations. Ministers also adopted Council conclusions which reiterate the call for a forward-looking EU Industrial policy strategy, with a focus on 2030 and beyond. A renewed EU Industrial Policy Strategy: Council adopts conclusions (press release, 30/11/2017)