Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-05 ============================================================ Mary Fitzpatrick (FF), Industrial and Commercial Panel I thank the Minister of State for updating the House on the Government's plans for the forthcoming EU Presidency. Obviously, it is a real honour for Ireland to take the Presidency. As the Minister of State said, it will be the eighth time that Ireland will have held the Presidency of the EU Council. I commend all of the staff in the Department, not just here in Dublin but across Europe, who are working to make our Presidency of the Council of the European Union a successful one. It is occurring at a time of unprecedented international instability and the threats Europe faces are enormous. Our capacity as a European community to respond to them will be tested and proven by our unity of purpose. Fifty-three years ago Ireland joined the then EEC and it is fair to say that, prior to joining, Ireland was a poor, inward-looking country that was losing its people and talent to emigration. Since we joined, we have become an open, outward-looking country and one of the most globalised economies in Europe, with a society that is diverse, accepting and welcoming. These are all strengths. As we look towards the European Presidency, it is important that we recognise that the role is one that gives Ireland an opportunity to demonstrate our confidence, strength and capacity to act as an honest broker, a champion for the rule of law and for diplomacy, to guide the member states over the course of the Presidency, and to make decisions that will affect the lives of European citizens across the Union. It is really important, during our Presidency that the values that unite us as a European community are not just observed but are actually reinforced and championed. The values of freedom and democracy, the rule of law and human rights are all ones that many of us take for granted daily, but all around the world there are people who are deprived of their freedom, who do not enjoy democracy, for all its flaws, and who do not live in an environment that is governed by the rule of law. Ireland's Presidency is another opportunity for Ireland to show its strength, capacity and competence in this space. I understand from what the Minister of State said that the actual details of the priorities will be worked out in partnership with the other member states over the coming months and will be announced closer to the time of the Presidency. While I appreciate the presidential role means that the Minister of State present and all of our Ministers will have a job to do to chair ministerial meetings and council meetings and to steer the European Union as one in a direction, I would ask that, from an Irish perspective, the Government would continue, as it always does, to use this as an opportunity to raise the issues that smaller countries in the Union are facing and to act as a strong voice, on an equal footing with the larger nations. I am thinking in particular about the issues around digitalisation, energy, climate and industrial competitiveness. These are real pressures for our communities at home. The digital transformation that has occurred in the last 20 or 30 years globally has been transformative. Ireland is headquarters to many of the big operators in the digital space and so progression of a European digital agenda is a priority. Energy is in the news all the time. We are hearing it and we are all feeling it in our pockets. Energy security and affordability are hugely important, and from an Irish perspective, there is a need for Ireland to achieve greater affordability, resilience and security regarding energy supplies. The climate challenge continues and the only way Europe can effectively deal with it for future generations is to act as one. That will be a big priority for Ireland's Presidency. In terms of competitiveness, as I said, when Ireland joined the EEC over 50 years ago, we were a very small, inward-looking, economically depressed and socially repressed country, and our world has changed. We are now one of the wealthiest members of the European Union, with one of the most open economies. We are one of the most globalised economies in Europe, and the young people sitting in the Gallery enjoy freedoms that people in Ireland 60 years ago could not have dreamed of, and that is a great opportunity for them. It is a great privilege for all of us to be members of the European Union and to be European citizens. It will be a moment for us all to be proud when Ireland takes the Presidency of the European Union and it is really important that, in that period of time, we stand tall and proud. We are confident that Ireland is an equal leader among all the European states and is a leader that can help steer the European Union to defend the values of democracy, freedom, independence and the rule of law. Never before can it have been as important for the European Union to act as one and to exercise its strength as one. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-05/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-03-05