Does the Presidency of the council of the EU matter? Méabh Ní Lionáin explores what the Presidency of the Council of the European Union entails.
The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is returning to Ireland in July 2026, for the first time in 13 years. Ireland is expected to host over 230 Presidency events over the six-month period. But what does this mean for Ireland and the Union as a whole? Does the role matter in the grand scheme of things?
What is it?
The Council of the European Union has a variety of responsibilities, such as adopting the budget with the Parliament, concluding international agreements on behalf of the EU, and developing foreign and security policy.
It is composed of ministers from each member state, dependent on the topic of discussion. For example, if an agricultural matter is being discussed, the Ministers for Agriculture from each state will attend the meeting of the council.
A common mistake is conflating the Council of the European Union with the confusingly named European Council. The European Council or EUCO, is composed of the heads of state of each member state, such as the Taoiseach in Ireland. They are separate institutions, despite their absurdly similar names. EUCO is responsible for establishing the overall agenda and direction of the EU. The European Commission, whose members are proposed by EUCO and approved by the Parliament, then propose legislation in line with this agenda, which the Council of the European Union and European Parliament review and adopt, in a process known as codecision-a separate but parallel process.
But where does the president fit into all of this?
The president’s role is to act as an “honest broker”, and to be above their own national interest. The presidency of the Council was formalised under the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, which looked to make the EU more democratic, efficient, and transparent. Prior to this, the President was also head of EUCO, which gave them a wider scope of powers. The presidency is not given to one person, rather to the member state, which is represented by its government ministers or ambassadors at meetings of the Council. The six-month term limit restricts the amount they can achieve in such a short period. To counteract this, the presidencies are grouped into trio presidencies, where they can establish long-term plans, and set a common program, before focusing on their detailed plans for their terms. Ireland will be the first of the next series of trio presidencies, followed by Lithuania and Greece. The President will also represent the Council in its dealings with other institutions such as the Commission and Parliament.
What does this mean for Ireland?
The Ireland of 2013 is worlds away from the Ireland of 2026. The slogan for the 2013 presidency was “Stability, jobs and growth.” Europe was devastated by a banking crisis and threatened by the precarious position of the euro. Ireland, ravaged by recession, had suffered a fall from grace. Once an emblem of rapid modernity, a model for the benefits of EU investment, Ireland had received a bailout of over €85 billion just three years prior, to rescue the struggling government and banks after the crash. Since then, Ireland has recovered, despite a continuing housing crisis, with the GDP predicted to grow by 10.7% in 2025.
Ireland is in a much more secure position, and this presidency will allow it to prove itself under the spotlight. However, Ireland has come to clashes with the EU over issues such as their low defence budget, their close relationship with the US and their opposition to the recent Mercosur trade deal which has received harsh criticism from Irish farmers who have predicted that it will undermine Irish agricultural products with cheaper, lower quality South American counterparts. Ireland will have to confront these conflicts on the international stage and prove that they are still loyal members of the EU.
So, after all of that, does the Presidency of the council of the EU matter? In terms of control, it doesn’t. Ireland will not possess more power than the next country. However, in terms of influence, the presidency can be used to highlight issues that are important to Ireland, as well as proving its political capability through the management of negotiations and passing of legislation. The role is important in relation to the key principles of the EU, democracy and equality. Each member state gets the opportunity to play a leading role in the operations of the EU, regardless of size and political power. The significance of that fact cannot be ignored. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has declared this year’s presidency will be a “a Presidency defined by action.” Whether that can be achieved is yet to be seen.