Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-05 ============================================================ Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel I join with others in commending the ongoing work by various Departments, led by the Department of foreign affairs, on our upcoming Presidency. Before I go onto the main point I wish to speak to, I ask that the Minister of State see this as an opportunity to showcase Ireland's heritage and unique culture - our built heritage, music, art and creative practices. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Ireland's heritage across the European Union. It is also important for some benefit to derive from this Presidency to our regional towns and rural communities, where some of the meetings and gatherings could be held. I hope some of them will be held outside of Dublin. We must use the time well to ensure all of Ireland benefits economically, as well as socially, from the Presidency. I wish to speak to the core point the Minister of State mentioned in his opening statement around a Presidency defined by action. This is an opportunity for Ireland to pull Europe back from the brink of the deregulation and simplification agenda. It is a time for us to reframe the narrative and our commitment to rapid decarbonisation and towards the Paris Agreement. We cannot do this, and call on other member states to do so, while we are abandoning targets here at home and disregarding our own climate Act. It is time for us to make statements on ending all investment into fossil fuel infrastructure. We need an EU migration pact which recognises displacement due to climate change, and one that is humane and compassionate. These are themes and topics we could pursue in our Presidency which would stand out and define us. There also needs to be no watering down of the EU nature restoration regulation, which we are hearing could be on the table. Ireland fought hard to get this over the line in the previous Government, and we need to use the Presidency to ensure it is as effective as it should be. I refer to the UK intelligence report on biodiversity loss. If one of the themes is security, one of the findings that emerged from that intelligence report is that what is about to happen in terms of nature and a collapse in biodiversity is a threat to our very security. Nature is our first and best line of defence against a changing climate. We also need to ensure the Presidency is used to retain stand-alone environmental funding, particularly LIFE funding. The Minister of State mentioned the competitiveness fund. We do not want to see the LIFE programme subsumed into a competitiveness fund. If it is lost as a stand-alone nature fund, it will be a loss to rural communities and Irish farming, and it is something we should highlight under our Presidency. We need a dedicated nature restoration fund, as was promised when we were negotiating the nature restoration regulation. That needs to be embedded in the post-2027 multi-annual financial framework. The simple ask is for our Presidency to be marked by leadership on the environment. This could and should be our legacy from our term in office. Ireland, as President, will chair - this is also critically important - both the biodiversity COP 17 in Yerevan in Armenia in October and the climate COP 31 in Türkiye in November on behalf of the European Union. It is a huge undertaking. Both these COPs will be critical in doubling down in opposition to the anti-climate and nature agenda being led by the US and put forward by other countries. We are good at talking; it is what we do well. I have seen in other negotiations that the Irish have always led and led well, and it is something I believe we could do well. Both these COPs must deliver fairness and adequate financing for developing countries and small island states. There is a lot resting on our shoulders here. Do we have sufficient resources to service our chairing of these events? Will we be able to participate on behalf of the EU at other world conferences, such as the world conference on marine biodiversity, to be held in Belgium? Do the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have the resources they need for us to participate and chair on behalf of the European Union? My understanding is that staff are being taken away from their core work to lead on this, which is understandable, It is a huge undertaking and I appreciate the complexities involved but, in order to be fully at the table, fully participate and chair this effectively, we need all the resources at our disposal on this. Tá ár n-Uachtaránacht ar an Aontas Eorpach an-tábhachtach don dúlra, don aeráid agus do shaoránaigh na hEorpa. Tá sé ríthábhachtach go léiríonn muid ceannaireacht le linn ár dtréimhse san oifig. I urge the Minister of State to keep the theme of climate and the environment central to the co-work programme we are going to lead on. We can leave a very positive legacy here, but it is critical the Government ensures we pull back from the brink of what has been, in recent years, an agenda that is anti-environment and anti-climate action. --- 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