Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 January 2026
845. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the estimated cost to his Department and to each agency for which it is responsible arising from Ireland’s Presidency of the European Council; the line items or events for which a cost is expected to arise and the estimated cost for each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [75249/25]
View answerThe Government committed in the Programme for Government to resourcing and delivering a successful EU Presidency. Significant planning has taken place to date to ensure that costs are managed across all expenditure headings. Prudent financial planning will continue to ensure value for money.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for the central co-ordination of operational planning for the EU Presidency across Government. A co-ordinated approach, supported by the Office of Government Procurement, is being taken with regard to procurement of key services such as accreditation, transport, interpretation, catering and accommodation, in order to support consistency of standards and cost-control.
The Department of Finance’s EU Presidency allocation for 2026 is €4,083,000, composed of €3,438,000 for pay and €645,000 for non-pay. The majority of departmental pay costs are existing staff resources reassigned to EU Presidency-related roles. The 2026 cost for temporary staff recruited specifically for the EU Presidency is estimated at €540,000. The non-pay allocation will be used to cover the costs of increased frequency of official travel to Brussels for staff involved in meetings of the Council, along with providing supporting costs for organising Presidency-related events in Ireland.
Officials in the Department of Finance are engaging with the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the logistics around these events.
In terms of the bodies under the aegis of the Department, the Central Bank of Ireland’s non-pay and contingency budget amounts to €209,950, which will primarily support the significant temporary uplift in increased staff travel to Brussels, as well as providing supporting costs for the delivery of Presidency-related events in Ireland. In terms of staffing, the Bank has reallocated existing resources internally.
As part of the 2026 budget allocation process, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners was allocated additional funding of approximately €1.7 million related to Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This funding is comprised of approximately €1.2 million in relation to pay expenditure, which includes additional temporary staffing requirements both in Brussels and in Ireland. This additional staffing will ensure that the Office of the Revenue Commissioners can support the Department of Finance in relation to tax and customs matters throughout Ireland’s Presidency, while continuing to deliver effective administration for businesses and taxpayers at home. It also comprises €0.5 million in relation to non-pay expenditure, which includes travel and subsistence costs relating to the Presidency and the cost of hosting Presidency-related events.
