From 1 July to 31 December 2026, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

Ireland will take over the EU Council Presidency from Cyprus at a time of deep geopolitical uncertainty. War in Ukraine and the Middle East, a deteriorating relationship with the United States, a highly volatile global economy and growing political polarisation will heavily mark the Irish Presidency’s agenda. Dublin will influence the path towards a more robust European security and defence set-up, as well as the ongoing discussions on the future EU budget.

Faced with external and internal pressures, the EU is in need of a strategic direction towards competitiveness and resilience. The Irish Presidency has a unique opportunity to guide Europe through delicate and uncertain times.

The conference features exchanges between researchers, policymakers, civil society representatives, journalists and members of the public. The conference focuses on several key topics for the Irish presidency, including enlargement, competitiveness, digital policy, geopolitics, democracy, rule of law, and security and defence.

TEPSA presented the Recommendations to the incoming Presidency. The Recommendations are published here.

The event is co-funded by the European Union via TEPSA’s ExpressEU project and part of the IIEA’s Future Proofing Europe project, which is supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

DAY 1 Pre-Presidency Conference

DAY 2 Pre-Presidency Conference