Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to consider Killarney, County Kerry, as a host town for meetings of the Presidency of the European Union in 2026. [25934/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July to December 2026. During the six-month Presidency, Ireland will be responsible for driving the EU policy agenda and advancing work on EU legislative and policy initiatives. Irish Ministers and officials will chair most meetings in the framework of the Council of Ministers, and will represent the Council in its relations with other EU institutions, notably the European Parliament.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency, and indicates that the Government will seek to bring some of the high-level meetings of our Presidency to cities and counties across Ireland, ensuring the entire country benefits from the profile the Presidency brings.

My Department is working closely with relevant Departments and agencies across Government to plan the range of meetings and events to be hosted in Ireland during the Presidency. This planning work includes assessment of the suitability of a wide range of locations as possible venues for Presidency meetings and events, taking account of specific criteria. Final decisions on the list of Presidency meetings and events to be hosted in Ireland, and the locations for those events, will be made in the coming months.