A major step towards a coalition government between the three parties.
In a statement issued on Sunday afternoon, the Green Party confirmed that its parliamentary members had voted in favour of entering formal coalition talks with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
However, Green Party approval for a government programme requires a two-thirds majority of the party’s membership.
The statement says that “any proposal must be transformative on climate action and commit to strong progress towards a more sustainable and fairer society.
“If this is not the case, Green Party representatives will withdraw from negotiations and pursue their mandate in opposition and work to hold the government to account.”
The statement specifies that Green Party leader Eamon Ryan will now seek a meeting with Leo Varadkar and Mícheal Martin.
The Greens, who have 12 seats in Dáil Éireann, would bring the size of the coalition to 84 TDs, three more than the necessary parliamentary majority of 81.
Last week, FG/FF issued a response to 17 policy questions posed by the Greens, which revealed deep divides on the issues of climate action and housing.
Ireland has been operating with a caretaker government since a general election was called at the end of January.
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