At the invitation of H.E. Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic, President Higgins participated in a meeting of the ‘Arraiolos Group’ of EU Presidents.

The meeting was attended by 14 non-executive Presidents of European Union member states who will discuss contemporary issues.

The Arraiolos Group is an informal meeting of Presidents of European Union member states. Meeting once a year, the Arraiolos Group, named after the Portuguese town where the first meeting took place in 2003, provides a political forum for the Presidents of parliamentary republics in the EU to consider responses to the challenges facing their societies, and to promote the principles of multilateralism.