Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

251. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on planning around Ireland's 2026 Presidency of the Council of the European Union. [19849/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from 1 July to 31 December 2026.

Our preparations for Ireland’s Presidency are now intensifying across both policy and operational strands of planning.

The Government has made a firm commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency in 2026.

Work is underway to develop our Presidency priorities and policy programme. This will be prepared against the backdrop of the EU Strategic Agenda for 2024-29 and the range of legislative initiatives proposed by the European Commission, including those set out in the Commission's 2025 Work Programme published in February.

We are consulting with other EU Member States and the EU institutions as the process of programme development continues.

We are also working with our Trio partners, Lithuania and Greece, to develop a Trio Presidency programme which ensures coherence in the work of the Council through the 18-month Trio period.

The evolution of the Council’s legislative agenda through successive Presidencies over the next sixteen months will also have a bearing on the definition of specific priorities to be taken forward in 2026. We expect that our programme and priorities will be finalised shortly before the start of our Presidency.

Overall, our Presidency priorities will reflect the work that needs to be done to address the common challenges that we face across the Union. We will focus on the areas in which we judge that Ireland can best advance a positive policy agenda for the Union and all its citizens.

The Government has agreed that we will plan to host an informal meeting of the European Council and a meeting of the European Political Community in Ireland during the Presidency, as well as a programme of informal Council meetings at Ministerial level.

Work is underway to plan these and the other meetings and events to be hosted by the Irish Presidency in 2026, in Ireland, Brussels and Luxembourg, to plan our approach to the management of the Council preparatory bodies that we will be required to chair in 2026, and to ensure that the necessary staff and resources are in place to deliver a successful Presidency.

Preparatory work for the Presidency will include engagement with a wide range of stakeholders.

Our 2026 EU Presidency will be a major undertaking for Ireland and is a key focus for the work of our Government. We have a proud record of success from our previous Presidency terms, and we are confident that with the support of our partners we will again be able to make a significant and positive contribution to the EU in 2026.