Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to prepare for Ireland's 2026 Presidency and advance key Irish and EU priorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38249/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from 1 July to 31 December 2026. It will be an important opportunity for Ireland to lead and shape the European agenda, and the Government has made a firm commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency in 2026. Preparations for Ireland’s Presidency are well underway across both policy and operational strands of planning.

Work on the development of Ireland’s Presidency priorities and policy programme is moving forward, taking into account the EU's Strategic Agenda for 2024-29, the legislative programme proposed by the European Commission, and the Government’s priorities in relation to the EU. Consultations with European partners will also inform the development of our priorities and policy programme, as will the evolution of the Council’s legislative agenda through the Presidency terms of Denmark (July to December 2025) and Cyprus (January to June 2026).

In addition, a programme of domestic stakeholder consultations is planned for this autumn, which will help to ensure that the views of businesses, civil society, youth groups and other stakeholders are taken into account in the preparation of our policy programme.

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 programme will be published, as is usual practice, shortly before the start of our Presidency term, in June 2026.

We have engaged with our Trio partners, Lithuania and Greece, at both official and Ministerial levels, to begin the process of developing a Trio Presidency programme, which will ensure coherence in the work of the Council through the 18-month Trio period from mid-2026 to the end of 2027.

The Government is also stepping up engagement with the EU institutions in advance of the Presidency, with particular priority attached to relations with the European Parliament. Planning is also underway for a programme of community, youth and schools outreach in advance of and during the Presidency.

The Government has agreed that Ireland will plan to host an informal meeting of the European Council and a summit meeting of the European Political Community in Ireland during the Presidency, as well as a programme of up to 22 informal meetings of EU Ministers. As outlined in the Programme for Government, we 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.

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 Ireland will be required to chair in 2026, and to ensure that the necessary staff and resources are in place to deliver a successful Presidency.

Our 2026 EU Presidency will be a major undertaking for Ireland and is a key focus for the work of 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.