Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 May 2026
6. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the preparations ongoing in relation to Ireland's forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38022/26]
View answerIreland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time from 1 July to 31 December of this year. The Presidency will be an opportunity for Ireland to play an important role in leading and shaping the EU’s policy and legislative agenda, and the Government has made a firm commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency in 2026.
As Presidency, we will take forward an ambitious agenda, seeking to serve the Union’s collective interests and respond to Europe’s most pressing and urgent needs, while preparing the Union to face the challenges of the future.
Preparations for Ireland’s Presidency are well underway, both here in Ireland and in Brussels. Our priorities and policy programme for the Presidency are now being finalised, taking account of extensive consultation with our European partners and with stakeholders in Ireland, and will be published in mid-June.
We are also now finalising the calendar of events scheduled to take place in Ireland during our Presidency term. During the Presidency, Ireland will host a summit of the European Political Community, an informal meeting of the European Council, and 22 informal Ministerial meetings. Overall, including conferences and meetings of officials from across the 27 EU Member States, we expect to host over 270 Presidency events in Ireland. Planning for these meetings is now well advanced.
The Government has committed in the Programme for Government 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.
I am determined to ensure that the entire country can engage with and benefit from the Presidency, and we are also progressing work to develop a programme of domestic outreach and engagement. This will include the EU Presidency County Pairings initiative, through which each county in the State has been paired with another EU Member State to facilitate broad public and community engagement with our European partners during the Presidency term, and the development of specific publications for children and young people focused on the work Ireland will undertake as Presidency.
Ireland has 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 through our 2026 Presidency.
