Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD at the Launch of Ireland’s Presidency Priorities and Policy Programme

We have set out an ambitious agenda for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Delivering on that ambition will require hard work, close cooperation with our EU partners and engagement with the

European Parliament.

For many people, the EU Presidency can seem quite technical. In reality, it is an opportunity for Ireland to help shape Europe’s agenda for six months – bringing countries together, chairing discussions, helping to build agreement and driving progress on issues that matter to citizens across Europe.

This comes at a critical moment for Europe.

We face significant economic uncertainty, growing security challenges and rapid and technological change. But alongside those challenges are enormous opportunities – to strengthen our economy, accelerate innovation, deepen cooperation and build a more secure and prosperous future. Through this Presidency, Ireland has the opportunity to help shape Europe’s response and help realise that potential.

The scale of our ambition reflects the scale of the challenges and opportunities facing Europe today across the core pillars of our agenda: competitiveness, values and security.

Through the Presidency, I am determined to demonstrate how the work of the Union can continue to make a positive difference to people’s lives and livelihoods right across the country.

For me personally, I have only ever known Ireland as a member of the European Union, and that is true for many people.

Citizens across Ireland and across Europe have benefited enormously from what the European Union has achieved over many decades. The opportunities to live, study, work and travel across Europe, the peace and stability that European cooperation has helped to underpin, and the economic opportunities created through membership are things many of us have grown up taking for granted.

To me, a successful Presidency is about two things. First, it is about making real progress on important legislative files that will help shape Europe’s future. Second, it is about communicating effectively with people so they understand what those decisions mean in practice – how they affect their communities, jobs, their opportunities and their daily lives.

Through our agenda on competitiveness, we will strengthen the Single Market, remove barriers to internal trade, help European businesses and SMEs to expand across the continent, and enhance their access to the finance that will allow them to grow.

A key part of that discussion will be the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU budget. This budget underpins so much of what Europe is able to achieve. Ensuring that Europe has the resources to meet its ambitions will be central to our work.

At its heart, this is all about jobs, growth and opportunity. We want Europe to remain a place where businesses can invest, innovate and compete successfully, creating prosperity for citizens across the Union.

We will also pursue an ambitious agenda relating to external trade, which I look forward to advancing in my role as chair of the meetings of EU Trade Ministers.

I will work to strengthen our trade relationships and diversify our markets, advancing trade negotiations with important partners such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

I will also seek to build an ambitious EU-US trade and investment relationship which benefits us both.

Through our focus on values, we will ensure that we uphold fundamental rights and focus on those most in need of protection.

This includes our children, and our Presidency will place a strong focus on ensuring that the online world is a space that is safe and healthy for children, taking forward work to enhance the safety of children online.

We will emphasise the importance of the EU’s global role, its contribution to the United Nations and its support for multilateralism, and ensure that it uses its voice and influence to defend the international legal order, human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

In the area of security, we know that no country acting alone can address the entirety of existing and emerging security challenges. As Minister for Defence, I am determined we contribute actively to the ongoing development of the EU’s security and defence.

Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has transformed the security landscape in Europe and revealed vulnerabilities that all EU Member States, including Ireland, must confront.

We will support cooperation to address critical capability gaps and to build resilience, including in the face of hybrid threats. We will work to address maritime security challenges and ensure the security of our critical infrastructure. This will remain a priority.

The Irish Presidency will promote active engagement in support of lasting peace and security in the Middle East, in particular the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to the two-State solution.

This is a Presidency for the whole country.

As well as ensuring that EU Presidency meetings and events take place right around the country, we have announced initiatives like the EU Presidency County Pairings Programme and the publication of a version of our Presidency priorities for children. These will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to engage in a meaningful way with Ireland’s Presidency and our role in Europe.

We have a big national effort ahead, but we know we can meet the challenge effectively.

Building on the work done by Cyprus over the last six months, we look forward to an Irish Presidency which achieves real progress on important issues of relevance to our citizens across Europe.

Ultimately, success will be measured not only by the agreements reached and the legislative progress made, but also by whether people understand the value of that work and how it improves their lives.