Ireland to Host High-Level Political Summits

Ireland is preparing to host a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) next week, Thursday 12 November, which will see around 50 leaders gather in Dublin for political and strategic discussions.

The EPC Summit will be followed on Friday 13 November by an informal meeting of EU Heads of State or Government. Both meetings will take place in the Convention Centre on Dublin’s North Wall Quay.

The Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD will also host a dinner for visiting Leaders in the National Gallery of Ireland on the evening of Thursday 12 November.

These will be the largest ever meetings of Heads of State or Government to take place in Ireland. Teams from the Department of the Taoiseach, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Office of Public Works, An Garda Síochána, Dublin City Council and transport operators have been planning intensively for these summits for a number of months.

An extensive policing and security operation will come into effect on Tuesday 10 November. This will involve a wide range of Garda units including front-line policing, public order, Special Detective Unit, Emergency Response Unit, Air Support, and the National Drone Unit. The overarching aim of the policing and security operation is to keep people who live, work and study in and around the event locations safe. This includes those visiting Ireland for these important events.

Every effort is being made to minimise disruption to the public and to businesses, while policing these important events safely and successfully. Due to their scale and complexity, the summits are a significant logistical undertaking with unprecedented security considerations.

These security considerations and measures will impact those who live, work and study in the areas around the Convention Centre, the National Gallery and on routes between Dublin Airport, Casement Aerodrome (Baldonnel) and several city hotels, as well as public transport users.

If you are planning to travel to Dublin City, Dublin Airport or Dublin Port on the 10, 11, 12 or 13 of November, it is important to check the latest public transport information and plan your journey accordingly. Certain roads will be closed, public transport routes diverted, and delays are expected. Leave plenty of time for your journey and continue to monitor updates across social media.

Updated Information on the summits is available on garda.ie.

Updated public transport information is available from the Transport for Ireland website and individual service operators.