EU Affairs

The COVID-19 outbreak has precipitated a global economic crisis, with the impact on Europe particularly acute. What does the the crisis mean for negotiations on the EU’s long-term budget?

On 25 March 2020, EU Member States reached a long-awaited agreement in favour of opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania.

This briefing by Tony Brown examines the key initiatives put forward by the Commission to create a more inclusive, fairer and people-centered social policy, which leaves no one behind and to emphasize the social element in Europe’s social market economy. The briefing also assesses the significance of these proposals for Ireland.This paper is part of the Future of the EU27 Project, which is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

This blog by Tony Brown examines the heightened importance given to the social dimension of the EU in the EU's Strategic Agenda for 2019-24, a move that has been welcomed by the Irish Government. It also explores the synergies between the EU's social policy agenda and the priorities of the Irish Government, as outlined in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-25.

This briefing examines how negotiations on the next long-term budget of the EU have progressed since 2018 and considers Ireland’s priorities in the decisive next phase of the process.