Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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107. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the preparations underway for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026; the key thematic priorities under consideration; the estimated staffing and budget allocations to support the Presidency across his Department and the permanent representation in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43364/25]

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.

The 2025 Budget included an allocation of €10 million to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for EU Presidency expenditure anticipated to be incurred in this year. The pay budget amounts to €8 million for additional temporary Presidency roles in both the Department’s headquarters in Dublin and in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels, and there is a non-pay budget of €2 million. The Department is engaging in extensive preparations in relation to planning the delivery of a successful Presidency. In support of this, a significant number of temporary staff will be assigned to the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels and the Department’s headquarters in Dublin, with many taking up duty over the coming months. These officers will support the Department in its central role in ensuring delivery of a successful EU Presidency for Ireland, including driving the EU policy agenda, advancing work on EU legislative and policy initiatives, and delivering an extensive programme of events in Ireland, in line with the commitments made in the Programme for Government. The 2026 budget allocation for the EU Presidency will be subject to the outcome of the Budget process for 2026 later this year.

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.