Until 31 December, Ireland will host the Presidency as the first in a trio presidency with Lithuania and Greece. Lithuania will hold the Presidency from January–June 2027, followed by Greece from July–December 2027. The three presidencies have a common agenda, which is outlined in their Trio Programme.
During its term, Ireland has outlined the following priorities (learn more on the official website):
- Competitiveness – In order to deliver a secure economic future, which meets the needs and expectations of its people, Europe must act urgently to enhance its competitiveness and productivity.
- Values – Now more than ever, the EU needs to defend and vindicate our values within Europe and globally.
- Security – The Irish Presidency will work to advance measures that contribute to the strengthening.
Regarding culture, as previously reported by NEMO, a central task of the Irish Presidency will be to steer the adoption of the next EU Work Plan for Culture 2027–2030, which sets the framework for cooperation on cultural policy among EU Member States.
On 6 July, the coordinators of the #NamePlaceFund campaign, which NEMO endorses, sent an open letter to the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU calling for a vision of research, innovation and competitiveness in the next long-term EU budget (MFF) that fully embeds the arts and the CCSI to address the challenges of the future.
What is the Council of the EU?
The Council of the European Union brings together the ministers of the 27 EU member states, and its main tasks include:
- Negotiating and adopting EU laws alongside the European Parliament (“co-legislator”), following a proposal by the European Commission.
- Coordinating the policies of member states in a number of policy areas.
- Shaping the EU’s common foreign and security policy, based on the political direction and guidelines of the European Council.
- Adopting the EU’s annual budget in cooperation with the European Parliament.
- Contributing to the negotiation and conclusion of agreements between the EU, non-EU countries, and international organisations.
