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Tánaiste provides update on preparations for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris, today updated the government on preparations for Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Ireland will hold the EU Presidency from July to December 2026. During that period, Irish Ministers will be responsible for chairing meetings of the Council and steering the EU’s legislative and policy agenda.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to resource and deliver a successful EU Presidency. Ireland will have significant responsibility over this period for advancing the Union’s agenda against a complex geopolitical background.
Planning for the Presidency is being led by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in close cooperation with the Department of the Taoiseach, and with the participation of all government departments.
The Tánaiste said: “The EU Presidency will be a significant opportunity for Ireland to lead the European agenda. Europe is changing and we are part of that change. The Presidency will allow us to shape the EU’s agenda to help the Union meet the many challenges we face and deliver for citizens across the continent.
“The government has agreed to intensify preparations for the Presidency across all areas of planning, including work on defining the policy priorities that the Irish Presidency will pursue. Ministers will be significantly stepping up their engagement with EU counterparts and with the EU institutions to prepare for the work we will have to undertake in 2026.
“As we indicated in the Programme for Government, we expect to host a summit meeting of the European Political Community in Ireland during the Presidency in 2026. This Summit will be one of the most significant high-level international events ever held in Ireland. It is likely to involve up to 47 Heads of State and Government from across the continent of Europe and will be a unique opportunity for Ireland to take a leadership role at international level.
“This summit will be one element of an extensive programme of Presidency events in Ireland which will also include an informal meeting of the European Council, between 16 and 20 informal Council meetings at Ministerial level, and a wide range of conferences and other events.
“Preparations for our Presidency are well advanced and we are determined to deliver a Presidency which delivers for Ireland, which delivers for Europe and which delivers for our global partners.”
Notes
Ireland will hold its eighth Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2026. Ireland will take over the Presidency from Cyprus, and the Irish Presidency will form the first part of an eighteen month “Trio Presidency” also involving Lithuania and Greece.
During the Presidency, Irish Ministers will be required to chair meetings of EU Ministers in the Council, steer the Council’s legislative and policy agenda, and interact on behalf of the Council with other EU institutions. Irish officials will be required to chair up to 170 Council preparatory bodies, and to lead engagement with other EU institutions at technical and expert levels on legislative files.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to resource and deliver a successful EU Presidency in 2026, and indicates that the government will publish plans for the Presidency to deliver against strategic priorities for the EU and Ireland; host an informal meeting of the European Council and a meeting of the European Political Community and between 16 and 20 informal Council meetings at Ministerial level; seek to bring some of the high-level meetings during the Presidency to cities and counties across Ireland; and provide for a sustainability policy for the Presidency.
The Tánaiste recently (13 February) delivered the keynote speech at a conference in Dublin Castle focused on preparations for Ireland’s EU Presidency; the full text of the speech is available here: Keynote speech by the Tánaiste Simon Harris: A changing Europe – our part in shaping the next evolution of our Union.
