Ireland is taking over the EU presidency for the next six months – here’s what that means

Over the next six months, Irish ministers will chair meetings, help broker agreements between EU countries, and steer negotiations on some of the bloc’s biggest political priorities. 

Ireland takes on the presidency at a particularly challenging moment for Europe. Last week’s record-breaking heatwave has intensified debate over climate action, while conflict, humanitarian crises and global hunger continue to test the EU’s ability to respond at home and abroad.

For the rest of the year, Ireland will have the opportunity to shape discussions, broker deals, and build momentum on issues where leadership can make a meaningful difference. Here’s what you need to know about what’s on the agenda, what influence it gives the Government, and why it matters for hunger, climate action, and humanitarian response. 

Ireland’s Policy Programme for this EU Presidency is built around three pillars:

• Competitiveness – fostering prosperity and wellbeing
• Values – upholding the foundation of the EU
• Security – protecting EU citizens

That sounds simple, but there are a lot of issues that fall under these three pillars, including trade, productivity, climate policy, food systems, and economic security (Competitiveness); human rights, humanitarian aid, equality, and peacebuilding and keeping (Values); and addressing both ongoing global conflicts and new emerging threats (Security).

While presented as three separate priorities, they also increasingly overlap: Climate change affects economic stability. Conflict drives hunger and displacement. Food insecurity itself can become a source of instability and further conflict. This leaves many decisions cutting across multiple policy areas at once. 

Ireland won't be able to determine EU policy on its own, but as Council president it can shape agendas and influence how (and how quickly) the EU responds to some of the most defining challenges of our time, from climate action and humanitarian crises to conflict and global hunger. 

For those of us in Ireland, the presidency puts our Government at the centre of EU decision-making on issues ranging from energy and agriculture to trade and security. Beyond Europe, however, the choices made over the next six months could significantly influence how the EU responds to humanitarian emergencies, supports countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis and conflict, and invests in long-term efforts to reduce hunger and poverty around the world.  

That role comes at a pivotal moment: Around the world, humanitarian needs are rising just as many governments are reducing foreign aid and ODA budgets and retreating from multilateral approaches to tackling global challenges. Ireland is one of the few countries moving in the opposite direction, with a commitment to continue increasing its ODA each year as it works towards the UN target of spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on development assistance by 2030.

“Humanitarian needs continue to rise, while global funding for ODA is declining amid heightened geopolitical instability and weakening multilateral cooperation,” writes Concern CEO Dominic Crowley in our newly-published 2025 Annual Report. 

Ireland’s continued commitment to international development is about more than meeting a funding target. At a time when crises increasingly spill across borders, this commitment reiterates that international cooperation is one of the most effective ways to reduce suffering and build resilience. 

Ireland last held the EU presidency in the first half of 2013, and was based on the pillars of Stability, Jobs, and Growth. Some major accomplishments during that time included:

• Helping to stabilise the Eurozone with banking and budget agreements
• Passing reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including new environmental measures and changes to how agricultural funding was allocated through 2020
• Securing the commitment of all member states to the Youth Guarantee – a major win for tackling youth unemployment.Prioritising European small businesses for growth and market opportunities

It goes without saying that a lot has changed in the last 13 years. Ireland’s last presidency came at a time when the EU was primarily focused on recovering from the financial crisis of 2012 and focused on internal recovery.

By contrast, many of the central issues in Europe in 2026 are also international in nature: the global refugee crisis, the war in Ukraine, escalating conflicts throughout Africa and the Middle East, record-breaking global temperatures, rising hunger rates, outbreaks of disease, and increasing geopolitical tensions have pushed external policy to the centre of the EU’s agenda. 

To paraphrase a common talking point these days: The challenges don’t stop at Europe’s borders, and neither can Europe’s response. 

The decisions made in Brussels have consequences that go far beyond the EU. At Concern, we’re most focused on seeing how Ireland’s influence can be felt across the following areas of leadership:

Ireland’s presidency of the EU identifies climate change as both an environmental and security challenge, and is committing to accelerate climate action at both the EU and international levels, along with the EU’s global leadership on climate and biodiversity and the circular economy.

This matters well beyond Europe, where climate change is already driving hunger, displacement, and poverty. Without sufficient action, the World Bank estimates that the climate crisis will push anywhere between 32 and 132 million additional people into extreme poverty by 2030. 

We’re seeing more examples of extreme weather patterns in the EU as well, but at Concern we’re especially invested in how climate policies will support the countries and communities already facing the greatest impacts (many of which have contributed minimally to greenhouse gas emissions). We’ll be watching how Ireland advances international climate commitments, including finance and policies that strengthen resilience for the most-affected communities and regions. 

Ireland has identified food security as one of the international challenges that will require urgent attention during its presidency, particularly in Africa. This reflects a broader shift in how the EU is approaching global hunger as not simply a humanitarian issue, but one that is closely linked to climate change, economic stability, conflict, and global security.

Taken together, these issues are leaving millions of people around the world facing acute levels of hunger (with especially high levels of hunger in these 10 countries). With the EU now the world’s largest provider of foreign aid, it plays a key role in responding to these crises through humanitarian assistance, long-term development partnerships, and policies that strengthen sustainable food systems at home and abroad. This also doesn’t have to be a choice: strengthening Europe’s own food security can also be done by strengthening the security and systems of communities around the world. 

One of the defining themes for Ireland’s presidency of the EU is conflict, with the hostilities in Ukraine and the Middle East identified as key priorities – along with strengthening European security and defence. 

These particular examples matter for Concern, as we’ve been working in Ukraine since 2022 and in the Middle East (including Syria, Iraq, Gaza, and Yemen) since 2013. In fact, many of the countries where we currently work are also facing forms of conflict, instability, or regional violence. These hostilities threaten the lives of millions, while also making it harder for humanitarian organisations to reach the people left most in need. 

Ireland’s history of peacebuilding shows the need for sustained partnerships and international support, as the authors of the EU Presidency programme note: “The experience of peacebuilding on the island of Ireland illustrates the profound importance of dialogue, partnership, and sustained international support.”

For our work, these discussions matter as conflict remains one of the biggest drivers of humanitarian need and sustained poverty worldwide. We’ll be watching how Ireland balances security priorities with commitments to international humanitarian law, humanitarian aid, and long-term development. Our lasting security as a global society depends not only on defence, but also on protecting civilians, supporting recovery, and addressing the conditions that allow crises to escalate. 

Throughout Ireland's presidency, we’ll also be watching how the EU responds to these challenges interdependently of one another. As Ireland notes in its programme for 2026, none of these issues exist in isolation. The most effective responses will therefore be rooted in those connections, balancing emergency action with coordinated, long-term solutions.