From July 1, the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union passes to Ireland for a six-month term. For Dublin, the period beginning now comes with major challenges, with financial issues at the forefront.
This is the eighth time Ireland has held this role since joining the EU in 1973. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, during the opening ceremony in Dublin, described his country as being positioned on the edge of the Atlantic, yet at the same time deeply European.
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In his speech, Martin pointed out that Ireland owes a great deal to its membership in the European Union. According to him, the country’s transition into a modern economy and an open society is closely tied to its place in the EU.
He recalled that in 1972, when the act of accession was signed, average incomes in Ireland were just under two-thirds of the European average. At the same time, a law was still in force that barred women from working in the public sector after marriage, while the island was going through the worst year of unrest in Northern Ireland.
Since then, Ireland has experienced strong economic growth and earned the nickname “Celtic Tiger.” Since 2018, it has ranked among the EU’s net contributors, meaning it pays more into the European budget than it receives from it. With just over five million inhabitants, Ireland has the second-highest gross domestic product per capita in the European Union, after Luxembourg.
Over the next six months, Dublin will chair meetings of the EU Council, the legislative body where the 27 member states are represented. The Irish presidency has adopted as its motto the Irish-language phrase “Ní neart go cur le chéile,” which conveys the idea that there is no strength without unity.
Preserving and strengthening that unity among the 27 member states will be the main task of the Irish government. Ireland aims to make its mark especially on competitiveness, the protection of EU values, and security.
Among its main priorities are banning the use of social media by young people under the age of 16, pushing forward the debate on the EU budget after 2028, and promoting the Capital Markets Union. Another central objective of the Irish presidency remains support for Ukraine.
As a strong sign of solidarity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was invited as guest of honor to the opening ceremony in Dublin. He used the platform to call for new punitive measures against Russia.
Zelenskyy said steps must be taken against Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” as well as against “many other means” on which, according to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin relies to continue the war.
According to the Ukrainian president, this network also includes companies in Europe which, as he put it, exist only to work for Russia and continue supplying the Russian aggressor with necessary materials.
In Dublin, that message was clearly understood. In recent weeks, controversy had been sparked by exports of aluminum oxide from Ireland to Russia, a material that is also of major importance to the military industry.
At a joint press conference with Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Martin announced that the issue had been addressed in bilateral talks. He said an investigation would be concluded in the coming weeks and that the findings would be submitted to the European Commission. According to him, Ireland does not want materials of Irish origin to support the Russian war machine.
Moreover, the Irish government intends to push forward additional sanctions against Russia. Negotiations are currently underway in the EU Council on the 21st sanctions package, while Ireland is also seeking to advance a 22nd package. It also aims to open additional negotiating chapters on Ukraine’s EU membership.
On the economic front, Ireland wants to achieve concrete results in boosting competitiveness. To that end, the government intends to advance the EU strategy “One Europe, One Market.” Under this slogan, the European Union has set the goal of completing the single market by the end of 2027 and easing conditions for businesses, for example through cutting bureaucracy, completing the Capital Markets Union, and creating a unified legal form for companies at the European level.
Irish Finance Minister Simon Harris said this project would be his main focus, as a political agreement must be reached by the end of the year. According to him, very difficult talks are expected over the trillion-euro budget.
Also by the end of the year, a political agreement is expected on the next EU budget. Micheál Martin stressed that the current positions of the member states, which cover most of the budget through their contributions, remain far apart.
This budget must be finalized by the end of 2027, as it will cover the period 2028–2035. For political reasons, such as the upcoming elections in France, there is broad consensus in Brussels that the negotiations should be concluded within this year. A special meeting of heads of state and government is scheduled for November.
Another issue that will be closely watched by European institutions and other countries during the Irish presidency is Dublin’s approach to regulating the technology sector, especially in debates on European technological sovereignty and a possible digital tax.
Ireland is home to major American companies such as Google, Apple, and Meta, which benefit from relatively low tax rates. In this context, Finance Minister Simon Harris said his country would act as an “honest broker.”
He underlined that Ireland has very clear positions when it comes to regulating tech giants. However, he added, it must be ensured that European Union decisions serve its economic interests and that the reactions of the rest of the world, especially the United States, cannot be ignored. /DW
