Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the preparatory work within his Department in advance of Ireland assuming the presidency of the European Council in 2026; the work that is being carried out to ensure that there is a role for young people in the presidency; the consideration that is being given to the staffing requirement to ensure support for youth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42172/24]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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113. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeline for the preparatory work within his Department in advance of Ireland assuming the presidency of the European Council in 2026; when decisions will be made around policy priorities for the presidency; if there will be an element of public consultation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42173/24]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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114. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there is a cross-Departmental working group to organise the preparatory work in advance of Ireland assuming the presidency of the European Council in 2026; the persons who sits on the working group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42174/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 to 114, inclusive, together.

Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2026. Preparations for Ireland’s Presidency are progressing across both policy and operational strands of planning, led by my Department in close cooperation with the Department of the Taoiseach, and with input from all Departments across Government.

Two cross-departmental groups have been established to coordinate the preparatory work in advance of our 2026 Presidency. The Inter-Departmental Group on Presidency Policy Planning and the Inter-Departmental Group on Operational Presidency Planning are chaired by officials from my Department and have now met a total of nineteen times with the participation of senior officials from across all Government Departments.

The Inter-Departmental Group on Presidency Policy Planning has been monitoring significant policy developments at EU level, which will shape the context for Ireland’s Presidency. A detailed policy programme for the Irish Presidency will be developed against the backdrop of the EU Strategic Agenda for 2024-29, adopted by the European Council at its meeting in June, and the range of legislative initiatives proposed by the new European Commission which will take office later this year. The Government will also be consulting with other EU Member States and the EU institutions as the process of programme development continues, and will liaise with relevant stakeholders in Ireland, including representatives of civil society, to ensure the programme addresses issues of national importance for Ireland.

The evolution of the Council’s legislative agenda through successive Presidencies over the next eighteen months will also have a bearing on the definition of specific priorities to be taken forward by the Irish Presidency, and our programme and priorities are expected to be finalised shortly before the start of the Presidency in mid-2026.

Overall, Ireland’s policy priorities for the Presidency will reflect the areas in which it is judged by the Government that Ireland can best advance a positive policy agenda for the Union and its citizens. The youth dimension of Ireland’s Presidency is being fully considered, both in the process of developing our policy priorities and in the context of the programme of events to be hosted in Ireland in 2026.

My Department continues to work with Departments across Government to plan the range of meetings and events to be hosted in Ireland during the Presidency, and to ensure appropriate provision is made for the specific resource requirements, including staffing needs, arising from the Presidency role.

The 2026 EU Presidency will be a major undertaking for Ireland and a key focus for the work of Government in the years ahead. We have a proud record of success from our previous Presidency terms, and I am confident that we will again be able to make a significant and positive contribution to the EU through our Presidency in 2026.