Welcome to the summer 2026 special edition of the Ibec Europe & Global Focus
Today, 1st July, marks the beginning of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, where the Irish Government will steer EU policymaking in one of the three EU institutions for 6 months. Ibec’s campaign for the Presidency, ‘Making a Resilient, Competitive EU a Reality’ continues to steer our policy work.
This special edition of the Ibec Europe & Global Focus concentrates on Ireland’s eighth Presidency of the Council of the EU, which comes at a pivotal time for Ireland and Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. We provide an analysis of the Government Presidency Programme and outline the business expectations for Ireland’s EU Presidency.
“The Presidency is an opportunity to steer Europe away from insular economic policies and be a leading voice for an EU that champions a rules-based international trading system.”
- Dr Pat Ivory, Director EU & International Affairs, Ibec
