Yesterday, the Irish Government published its Programme for Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU (“Presidency“).
The Programme is anchored around three priorities: competitiveness, values and security, with security increasingly framed in terms of resilience. These are as expected, and are consistent with the signals the Government had been giving in recent months.
Below, we outline the key areas which the Government has identified as its priorities during the Presidency.
Strategic direction
Ireland assumes the role at a genuinely consequential moment. The EU is grappling with sustained pressure on competitiveness, an unresolved productivity gap relative to its principal trading partners, and a geopolitical environment that continues to shift uncertainly.
The Government’s priorities are not siloed commitments. They are specifically designed to cut across all Council formations, shaping both the legislative agenda and the broader policy choices of the Presidency.
Rather than following how the Programme is organised across policy areas and Council formations (such as economic, foreign affairs or justice), this Insight takes a thematic approach, grouping the principal initiatives into core pillars most relevant to business, and outlining the direction of travel and key areas of activity within each.
Key takeaways:
- Competitiveness is the organising principle of the Presidency, and will shape activity across all Council formations;
- Simplification is a genuine priority, and will focus on improving how existing frameworks operate rather than removing them;
- Security and resilience have moved to the centre of the EU policy agenda, with practical consequences for a widening range of sectors;
- A substantial volume of legislative activity is expected across financial services, technology, energy and infrastructure;
- Negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework (2028 to 2034) will be a defining feature of the Presidency, and will have long-term implications for investment and funding priorities across the EU.
The Programme signals a regulatory environment that is active but recalibrating. There is less appetite for adding new layers of obligation and more focus on making existing frameworks function better.
At the same time, the security and resilience agenda is generating concrete compliance expectations across a widening range of sectors, including supply chains, critical infrastructure, data handling and operational continuity. Delivering on the ambitious timelines and targets set out in the One Europe, One Market Roadmap, agreed by the three EU institutions in April 2026, runs as a consistent thread through the entire Programme.
Core Pillars
a. Competitiveness, Single Market and Industrial Policy
The Presidency has made strengthening the Single Market a central legislative objective, with a focus on removing barriers, harmonising fragmented national frameworks and advancing industrial policy in strategically important sectors.
Key legislative files include: the 28th Regime; the Industrial Accelerator Act; the Chips Act 2.0; and the forthcoming EU Product Act. The One Europe, One Market Roadmap provides the blueprint across five agreed pillars spanning competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy. On the Industrial Accelerator Act specifically, the Roadmap calls for co-legislative agreement by the end of this year, making it one of the more time-pressured files on the agenda. Procurement reform and broader measures to incentivise industrial investment in line with the Draghi report’s recommendations are also in scope.
Housing features prominently in the Programme. Both the Affordable Housing Act and the Construction Services Act are framed explicitly as Single Market competitiveness measures, on the basis that planning barriers and supply constraints drive up costs and restrict labour mobility. Research and innovation also fall within this pillar, with negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework and discussions on the proposed European Innovation Act among the stated priorities.
b. Capital Markets and Financial Services
The Savings and Investments Union is the centrepiece of the Presidency’s financial services agenda, and is aimed at creating a deeper and more liquid EU capital market that offers better funding pathways for businesses and more compelling investment options for savers, while reducing the EU’s heavy reliance on bank financing.
Other key files include the Digital Euro enabling framework, the Market Integration and Supervision Package, and reforms to securitisation and pensions frameworks. The Presidency will also take forward a review of the Regulation on European Venture Capital Funds and a companion proposal on exit options for growth companies at the venture capital stage, once the Commission brings those forward. Progress towards a political conclusion on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation in trilogue is also anticipated.
c. Simplification and Regulatory Reset
Simplification is a cross-cutting priority. This is about improving the coherence and usability of existing frameworks, not reducing the obligations they impose.
In the tax area, the Tax Simplification Omnibus and the DAC recast are the headline files. Beyond tax, the Presidency has committed, explicitly and with a year-end target, to reaching agreement with the European Parliament on four specific omnibus packages covering digital, environmental, automotive, and food and feed safety legislation. Progress is also being sought on packages dealing with energy products and citizenship.
Reform of permitting and planning frameworks is also a stated priority, with the objective of creating a more coherent and workable EU-level framework, fully respecting the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity.
d. Security, Defence and Resilience
Security is an active legislative driver across the Programme. The Presidency will work to strengthen EU defence capabilities and foster a more adaptable European defence industrial base, while advancing cooperation between the EU and NATO. Work will advance on the White Paper on Defence and the Defence Readiness Roadmap. The new European Security Strategy will be launched during the Presidency, a significant moment that will set the strategic framing for EU security and defence policy for the years ahead.
On the civilian side, the Critical Entities Resilience Directive and the roadmap for cross-border crisis preparedness are priorities, as is the broader Preparedness Union Strategy. The cybersecurity framework is also under active review, with the revision of the Cybersecurity Act a named priority: the focus is on ENISA’s mandate, the EU’s certification framework, and ICT supply chain security, including non-technical risk factors. Countering hybrid threats and foreign information manipulation and interference will also feature.
e. Values, Rule of Law and Democracy
The Presidency will drive forward the European Democracy Package – which encompasses the European Democracy Shield and the Strategy for Civil Society – and will work to establish and operationalise the European Centre for Democratic Resilience.
Rule of law monitoring, including Article 7 proceedings, will continue alongside the equality and inclusion agenda.
The Programme commits to ensuring effective and balanced application of the Digital Services Act, which remains a live compliance concern for a wide range of businesses. Additionally, child safety online is a key Presidency priority. The Government intends to push for an EU-level position on the digital age of majority and support robust age verification measures.
f. External Relations, Enlargement and Geopolitics
Ukraine will remain central to the EU’s external agenda, politically, financially and in terms of the accession process. The Presidency has expressed genuine ambition on enlargement. This will include accession negotiations with Montenegro and advancing the drafing of its Accession Treaty, as well as progress on negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova and Albania.
On trade, the Presidency will pursue an open and rules-based agenda focused on deepening Europe’s diversification objectives and reinforcing economic resilience. The Presidency intends to work towards a more ambitious EU-US trade and investment relationship in line with the Joint Statement; to advance negotiations with Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the UAE; and to prioritise ratification of CETA, which marks its tenth anniversary this year. Formal Council procedures for the agreements with India and Indonesia are also to be concluded.
On EU-UK relations, the Presidency is clear that it wants to see this relationship in a stronger place. Continued implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland, is a stated priority, alongside a productive Institutional Summit.
g. Digital, Data and Technology
The trajectory of EU digital regulation is now well established. Among the key priorities is the Digital Networks Act, which represents a significant overhaul of the EU’s telecommunications regulatory framework, with the twin objectives of delivering a genuine single market for connectivity and improving the environment for investment. Lawful access to data initiatives and the European Business Wallet are also among the principal files.
The Presidency will submit a Progress Report on the Cloud and AI Development Act. The Presidency will also convene an AI Summit during the term, focused on harnessing digital and AI opportunities while equipping people to navigate the transition.
h. Climate, Energy and ESG
Key priorities include the review of the ETS1 Directive and the revision of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The European Grids Package, comprising the revised TEN-E Regulation and Permitting Directive, is the central instrument for enabling large-scale renewable energy deployment, and the Presidency has explicitly endorsed the European Council’s call for the co-legislators to agree and adopt it this year.
Work will also continue on sustainable finance and on the post-2030 decarbonisation agenda, with discussions on the 2040 emissions reduction target implementation package expected to begin before year end.
i. Tax and Economic Framework
Tax simplification and coordination remain consistent themes. Both the Tax Simplification Omnibus and the Directive on Administrative Co-operation (“DAC”) recast will be significant files for large international groups operating in the EU.
The Tax Simplification Omnibus has the potential to remove unnecessary tax friction inherent in the EU tax system, including, for example, withholding taxes on intra-EU payments. The DAC recast is more focussed on streamlining existing tax reporting requirements within the EU and will be of interest to any organisation that currently must report tax information related to their customers (eg, for financial services and asset management firms).
Work will also continue on implementation and monitoring of the level playing field under the revised global minimum tax, and this is one area where we expect Ireland’s focus on competitiveness to come to the fore.
j. Preparedness and Crisis Resilience
The Presidency will take forward priority actions under the Preparedness Union Strategy, with particular focus on completing a Comprehensive EU-Wide Risk and Threat Assessment and developing Minimum Preparedness Requirements. Work will also progress on critical communications infrastructure, including a proposal for a European Critical Communications System, and on formalising co-operation between public authorities and private sector entities on crisis readiness.
Outlook
This is a Programme with a clear centre of gravity: competitiveness, simplification and resilience, pursued against a geopolitical backdrop that is unlikely to ease over the coming months.
What distinguishes the Irish Presidency’s approach is the explicit framing of these priorities as interconnected rather than parallel, with each Council formation expected to reflect all three.
For businesses, that means the legislative pipeline is not only active but increasingly coherent in its direction. We in Matheson are working with clients across these areas, and we would be very happy to discuss what the emerging agenda means specifically for your business.
