On 1 July 2026, Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time, arriving at a genuinely pivotal moment for the European project. The government has chosen the Irish saying Ní neart go cur le chéile — Strength with unity — as the motto for its Presidency, and it is a fitting one. The work ahead will require exactly that.
For me, this Presidency carries a personal resonance. I began my career working in the European Council in 1996, when Ireland held its fifth Presidency of the Council. Led by then-Taoiseach John Bruton, that term is now widely recognised as a landmark moment that laid the foundational groundwork for the European single currency and demonstrated Ireland's capacity to shape the continent's future from the Council chair. Thirty years on, Ireland is once again in that chair, and the opportunity before it is no less significant. And while I’m now thirty years older, I am no less excited today about the possibilities the Irish Presidency presents than I was way back then.
A Presidency for a Defining Moment
Ireland takes on the Presidency nineteen months into the new Commission's mandate, and at a time when the EU's competitiveness, growth and single market agendas are “must-wins” for the European Union. The Draghi and Letta reports kick-started the discussion, while the EU’s Competitiveness Compass and One Europe, One Market roadmap has begun to chart the path forward. Now, it is for Ireland, as the Presidency, to help translate political ambition into much-needed legislative reality.
The Presidency is structured around three themes — Competitiveness, Values, and Security — and it would be hard to argue with that framing. The choices made during this Presidency will help shape whether the EU's competitiveness agenda translates into genuine single market progress, or gets pulled in a more cautious, inward-looking direction.
Ireland, I believe, is well-placed to navigate that balance. A longstanding advocate for free trade, deeper market integration, and innovation-led growth, it brings a distinctive and credible voice to the Council chair — not least as a member of the D9+ group of digitally advanced member states.
Competitiveness: The Defining Priority
The defining priority of this Presidency is competitiveness. The Irish government has been clear that achieving the end-year milestones of the One Europe, One Market roadmap agreed in April 2026 will be the litmus test of its Presidency, and we share that ambition.
At Amazon, we see this agenda in practical terms every day. A deeper, better-functioning single market means Irish SMEs can reach European customers without navigating a patchwork of national regulations — and that Irish consumers can shop across the EU with ease. It means businesses can scale across borders without rebuilding compliance frameworks from scratch, or diverting innovation and technology budgets to meet fragmented regulatory requirements. And it means that Europe remains an attractive destination for the long-term investment that creates jobs, drives innovation, and supports the digital infrastructure that businesses and citizens increasingly depend on. The potential is clear: Irish small and medium enterprises selling on Amazon recorded more than €65 million in export sales to other EU member states alone.
Charting the EU's digital future
This Presidency will shape some of the most consequential digital legislation of this Commission cycle. Member states and the European Parliament are still debating their approach on the Digital Omnibus, which proposes to remake cookie consent rules. The Digital Euro is expected to reach political agreement before year end. New proposals on technology sovereignty are entering Council working group discussions. And the Digital Fairness Act is expected to be proposed by the Commission in the fourth quarter, with Ireland's Presidency chair shaping early Council positioning.
Across all of these files, the question is the same: can the EU design rules that protect citizens and businesses while preserving the conditions for innovation and investment to flourish? We believe the answer is yes, but it requires a commitment to proportionality, coherence, and regulatory simplicity that can sometimes be hard to sustain as legislation develops.
On technology sovereignty in particular, Ireland has consistently demonstrated a thoughtful instinct: that sovereignty is best grounded in technical controls and risk-based standards, rather than in the nationality of the operator. Central to this is the principle that businesses and public bodies should retain the freedom to choose the technology that best meets their needs, ensuring a competitive market with meaningful alternatives. It is a framing we hope will inform Council discussions during the months ahead.
Looking Ahead
We are committed to supporting the Presidency's ambitions across all three of its themes, and look forward to engaging with Irish and European policymakers throughout the coming months. A highlight will be the International AI Summit in Dublin in October, which the government has themed around harnessing AI to boost Europe's competitiveness — an important signal that Ireland intends to lead from the front on the digital agenda during its Presidency term.
Irish Presidencies are marked by momentous occasions. Thirty years ago, Ireland sat in this chair and helped chart the course for monetary union. In 1990, Ireland secured a common European approach to German reunification and during its 2004 presidency, Dublin welcomed 10 new member states in the EU's "Big Bang" enlargement. The challenges of 2026 are different, but the opportunity is just as real. Strength with unity is the right instinct. A Europe that is competitive, open, and digitally strong is good for businesses, good for citizens, and good for the EU and Ireland.
