Orla Mc Breen, deputy head of mission, Embassy of Ireland, GB, has shared aspects of the expected agenda set to be released by Ireland in June, ahead of taking on the Presidency of the EU for the period 1 July – 31 December 2026.
Speaking at the Irish Funds Spring UK Symposium in London, Mc Breen – who has been selected as the next Irish ambassador to Ukraine – noted three key areas of focus: Values, Security & Defence, Competitiveness.
On values she highlighted that Ireland was keen to promote the rule of law. This is a strength of the single market. She mentioned the recent tilt seen in Hungary back towards what she argued were European values. For finance, the rule of law is critical in engendering investment confidence.
On security & defence, she noted that IDA Ireland – the Irish Government’s inward investment promotion agency – will be more easily able to facilitate investments in defence following a change in domestic law. And while Ireland is neutral, it is clearly looking to support security across Europe, including investments in defence, she stressed. She mentioned the release of a EUR90bn loan to Ukraine as part of the ongoing commitment in the EU context.
On competitiveness, Mc Breen noted that ongoing work “in the background” by the European Commission through its Omnibus packages. To this she acknowledged that Ireland’s ambassadors were recently recalled to Dublin in preparation for the Presidency. There, they were advised that the top objective in the Department of Finance during the Presidency is the SIU. This is also linked to the agenda of simplification, making it easier to invest.
