Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 December 2025
300. Deputy William Aird asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if a date has been confirmed for the informal ECOFIN meeting to be held during Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69558/25]
View answerI am looking forward to chairing the informal meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) next year. The date of the informal ECOFIN meeting forms part of the preparation of a high-level calendar that will span the full six months of Ireland's EU Presidency in the second half of 2026. Provisional dates for the meeting have been identified by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and will be confirmed by that Department in early 2026, once the event-planning process has further progressed.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is leading on the work to schedule meetings of the European Political Community, European Council, formal and informal Council meetings and meetings of high-level Council preparatory bodies. As is tradition, a draft version of the high-level calendar is circulated to Member States and to the EU institutions several months before the start of the Presidency, which begins on 1 July next year.
Officials in my Department are collaborating actively with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as well as the Department of Taoiseach to prepare for the informal ECOFIN and the wider EU Presidency.
The full official calendar, which will include all meetings and events forming part of the official programme for Ireland’s EU Presidency, will be published in June 2026 with the launch of Ireland’s EU Presidency website.
