Marking One Year to Ireland's EU Presidency: A Look Ahead - Remarks by the Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne

Iveagh House, 1 July 2025

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Tánaiste, Excellencies, fellow members of the Oireachtas, members of the European Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Tá áthas orm bheith i láthair leis an Tánaiste inniu ag an ócáid seo, blian go díreach roimh thús Uachtaránacht na hÉireann ar Chomhairle an Aontas Eorpaigh.

I am delighted to join the Tánaiste, in looking ahead to Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, commencing in exactly 12 months’ time.

I want to congratulate Poland, represented here today by Chargé Artur Mihalski, on the success of the Polish Presidency.

Poland can take great satisfaction from all it has achieved, in its Presidency of the Council, over the last six months.

I also want to extend Ireland’s very best wishes to Denmark, represented here today by Ambassador Lars Thuesen, on their EU Presidency.

Ireland looks forward to supporting the work of the Danish Presidency, and to co-operating closely, as we prepare for our own term in 2026.

‘A Presidency defined by action’

My friends, the work of the EU is a collective endeavour.

The EU is not some foreign entity – we ourselves are the EU.

Our successes as a Union are cumulative ones.

Our policy agenda moves forward month-by-month, year-by-year, and each Presidency builds on the legacy of its predecessors, in the role.

I am confident that our Presidency will build on the strong foundations laid down by those before us – including Poland and Denmark.

The planning for our Presidency is well-advanced – but we do not underestimate the scale of the task, that lies ahead of us.

The responsibility of the Presidency is one that Ireland takes very seriously.

As Taoiseach Micheál Martin has made clear, Ireland’s Presidency will be:

“a Presidency defined by action.”

Working with our European partners, we will advance a set of priorities that takes account of the interests and needs of all sectors of society, across our continent.

Engagement on Presidency priorities

The process of defining our priorities for 2026 is well underway and it will intensify in the coming months.

While we have a lot of work to do – in some ways – our most important task, at this juncture, will be to listen.

We want to hear the views of other Member States.

Since my appointment as European Affairs Minister in January, I have met with many of my EU counterparts.

I have visited Poland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Italy, Finland, Belgium and Germany, as well as Ukraine, seeing first-hand the resilience of the Ukrainian people, and Ukraine’s commitment to a European future.

As we move closer to the start of Ireland’s Presidency next year, we will step up our engagement with the EU institutions – in particular – with the European Parliament.

We know how closely the Council Presidency needs to work with the Parliament to move forward the EU’s legislative agenda.

We also want to hear from key stakeholder groups, and the broader public, as we develop our Presidency agenda.

To help shape our policy approach, I will lead a process of consultation with stakeholder groups across Ireland, from this autumn.

I plan to meet with representatives of all sectors: businesses large and small, community groups, civil society organisations, academic experts, young people, and many other groups.

I want to hear their vision for Ireland’s Presidency, and their views on what we can bring, to the work of the Council in 2026.

Policy challenges

During our Presidency, I look forward to chairing the General Affairs Council.

It is a Council that often deals with cross-cutting issues, and legislative proposals, across many different areas of policy.

Agreeing a new Multiannual Financial Framework will be a key area of focus during the Irish Presidency and just last week, I met with the EU Budget Commissioner, on this issue.

The shape of the new MFF will have enormous implications for the Union – for what it can achieve, and for what it can deliver for EU citizens.

Enhancing European competitiveness will also be a key focus of our work.

I want to see unnecessary red tape cut, and to work on initiatives, which simplify EU regulations.

The regulatory burden placed on businesses, especially on SMEs, must be addressed.

But our agenda will be to deliver better regulation, not deregulation.

I believe that this agenda will be crucial, in generating improved EU competitiveness, and in delivering prosperity, for all EU citizens.

Security and defence

Securing Europe, and our European future, is another key focus for Ireland.

From my engagements with counterparts across Europe, it is clear to me that the fear in Europe is not imagined – it is based on a considered analysis of existing threats by our European partners.

Any bad actor will not hit our strengths.

They will hit our vulnerabilities.

Ireland is a militarily neutral country, and we will remain so.

But, my friends, neutrality does not equate to indifference.

Ireland will not stand on the sidelines at this critical juncture for the EU.

And I know that our EU Presidency will accommodate and reconcile the needs, perspectives and priorities of our fellow member states, and that includes the security and defence of our European Union.

Enlargement

In reflecting on Ireland’s previous EU Presidencies, I take pride in thinking back to 2004, and the image of the leaders of the then-25 member states, gathered outside Áras an Uachtaráin, to mark the accession of ten new member states.

Momentum on EU enlargement must be maintained.

There can be no pulling up the ladder.

I believe that enlargement is the strongest policy tool that we have at our disposal in the EU – to consolidate peace, security and prosperity – across our continent.

When I visited Kyiv in April, I was stuck – and quite honestly, humbled – by the work being undertaken by the Ukrainian government to make progress on their candidacy, in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Ukraine must be supported on its EU path and Ireland’s solidarity with Ukraine remains unwavering.

Last week in Berlin, I met with my German counterpart, Minister Gunther Krichbaum, and I confirmed Ireland’s support for the increased use of QMV in the Enlargement process.

We want to maintain momentum on enlargement and ensure that bilateral disputes cannot slow down individual candidacies.

Ireland is now in favour of the use of QMV, by the Council, when deciding to open negotiating clusters.

This proposal, proposed by Germany and Slovenia, allows for momentum on enlargement to continue but importantly, it would still require unanimity to close chapters, and unanimity to start a new accession process, and to take a final decision on completing the process.

To fail to enlarge the EU, would be, to sow the seeds of our undoing.

So, we must redouble our efforts to this process.

Public outreach and communicating Europe

As we look towards our Presidency, I also believe that we must get better at communicating Europe.

We need to find ways to bring home the realities, and the benefits, of our EU membership to communities across Ireland.

Most Irish people accept that we have benefited from our EU membership – but we cannot take that positivity for granted.

Communities across Ireland should feel a sense of ownership, and a sense of pride, when it comes to our EU Presidency.

As our Presidency approaches, I will be visiting communities across Ireland, to talk directly to people about the EU – not just about our priorities for 2026, but about Ireland’s role in the EU, and about what our EU membership means in real terms, and what it has delivered for Ireland.

Recently, I visited Kildare as part of this process and engaged with local community groups, local schools, local media outlets, and others, to discuss our EU Presidency and hear their views.

It was a very valuable exchange, and part of an initiative that I will be continuing across the country, in the coming months.

Conclusion

So, it is clear that we have a busy year ahead of us, as we step up our Presidency preparations.

The Programme for Government has set out very clearly our commitment to resource and deliver a successful Presidency.

And we will do exactly that.

We will invest the efforts and the resources that an effective Presidency needs:

because we know it’s an investment in the success of the European project, and an investment, in our own future.

I am confident that, with the support of our partners and friends across the Union, the Irish Presidency in 2026 will be one that truly delivers for Ireland and for Europe.

Thank you.

Go raibh maith agaibh go léir.