Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-05 ============================================================ Eileen Lynch (FG), Agricultural Panel Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith anseo linn inniu chun na ráitis seo maidir leis an Eoraip a phlé. It is important that we are having this discussion. We have an opportunity in terms of hosting the Presidency. As previous speakers indicated, this is a time of real geopolitical uncertainty. Cyprus currently holds the Presidency. It continues to do so despite what is going on there. This goes to show how fragile the international situation is at the moment. We have a real opportunity when hosting the Presidency to bring Europe back to the Irish people. While over 80% of Irish people are quite happy with Ireland being a member state of the EU and want it to remain so, the figure in this regard underwent a slight dip in 2025. This is a great chance for us to bring the European Union closer to our people and for them to see how important it is. War is continuing on all of Europe's borders, global supply chains remain fragile and the international order is under massive strain. We face massive challenges to our democratic institutions, economic resilience and security. In that context, Ireland's leadership will matter not just for us but for the future of Europe. I welcome the themes underpinning the Presidency, namely competitiveness, security and value, and are timely and necessary. Regarding competitiveness, Europe must remain an innovative outward looking economy, capable of competing in a rapidly changing global marketplace. The Single Market is one of the European Union's greatest achievements, but it must continue to evolve. Investment in research, digital transformation, green technology and skills will be essential if Europe is to maintain economic strength and provide further opportunities for our citizens. For Ireland, competitiveness is closely linked to regional development, innovation in agriculture and food production and ensuring that small and medium-sized enterprises across rural and urban communities can thrive in the European economy. I also hope we will use this opportunity to progress the savings and investment union package. It has been spoken about frequently internally in the past while. I hope we can progress it. It is important for individual citizens in terms of their savings, but is also important for SMEs in terms of access to finance. Security has never been more important. We are in a very interesting position in terms of our stance on security. We have to understand that term broadly. It includes the protection of infrastructure, digital systems and democratic institutions. It also includes food security, which has become a central concern in the wake of global disruptions and conflict. European farmers and food producers are essential to our resilience. Ensuring a stable food supply, sustainable agriculture production and strong rural communities is not only an economic necessity, it is also a strategic priority for the EU. In an increasingly uncertain world, the ability to feed ourselves and support sustainable farming systems is fundamental to European stability. The Presidency will be held by Ireland from July to December. That will give us a real opportunity to further the CAP negotiations. We have been disappointed to see a decrease in that budget in light of a further budget going to other security measures. However, we have to prioritise our food security and our young farmers and ensure we have enough food going forward. That cannot be overstated. In relation to values, we have to remember that the European Union started as a peace project. It is a union founded on shared principles, democracy, human dignity and respect for the rule of law. At a time when these principles are challenged, not just within the Union but outside Europe, it is vital that we remain steadfast in defending them. The rule of law is the foundation upon which trust between member states is built. Without it, the functioning of the Single Market, judicial co-operation and democratic governance cannot be sustained. Ireland, with our long tradition of constitutional democracy and respect for international laws, is well placed to champion these values during our Presidency and I hope that we progress them. As I mentioned, our Presidency will take place against a backdrop of wider geopolitical uncertainty, tensions between global powers to ongoing conflict in eastern Europe and currently the conflict in the Gulf. These developments remind us that European co-operation is not optional; it is essential. We have a proud record of constructive engagement in Europe. During our last Presidency we successfully brokered significant agreements including reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and progress of the European budget framework. We now have the opportunity once again to demonstrate our ability to lead, to build consensus and to advance a European agenda that delivers for citizens. I hope we take this opportunity to do so. --- 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