Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the council of the European Union will cost the State over €293 million, with €125 million being allocated to An Garda Síochána alone.
Ireland will hold the EU presidency from July until December 2026, and for six months will have an opportunity to lead the policy agenda of the EU.
Over the course of the latter half of the year, Ireland is expected to host at least 50 European leaders during what will be the eighth time Ireland has held the EU presidency. Ireland will also chair dozens of formal meetings of the European Council in Brussels and Luxembourg.
According to the Department of Public Expenditure’s report on the 2026 budget, €282 million has been set aside to cover the costs of holding the EU presidency. This is on top of €11.7 million in capital expenditure that has already been allocated to the Office of Public Works (OPW) in advance of the presidency. The OPW has had €39.3 million in current spending budgeted towards the costs of the presidency.
Of the €282 million budgeted for current expenditure, €125 million has been allocated to An Garda Síochána. This is expected to go towards the increased security and operational costs associated with dignitaries who are expected to visit Ireland during the presidency.
Concerns have already been raised about Ireland’s defence capabilities if a rogue actor like Russia were to try to stage a drone attack or disrupt communications during a high profile event. During its presidency, Ireland will host a meeting of the European Political Community, which will involve dozens of political leaders travelling to what will be one of the largest political events ever held in the country.
Ireland is also expected to host 22 informal ministerial meetings, including some held outside of Dublin. Another 250 meetings associated with the EU presidency will be held all across the country over the course of the six months.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, one of the lead Government departments responsible for co-ordinating the EU presidency, will have €65 million budgeted towards the costs of the presidency. The Department of Culture has been given €8 million towards the cost of the presidency, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has been given €5.6 million, the Department of Enterprise will spend around €4.7 million and the Department of Finance’s allocation is €4 million.
Irish ministers will use the EU presidency to discuss pressing issues for the bloc, including security and defence. Enlargement of the EU will also be a main theme for Ireland’s presidency, as Taoiseach Micheál Martin mentioned during the recent visit of the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Better competitiveness for business, including less red tape, and the multiannual financial framework will also feature.
Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has already said that Ireland will use the EU presidency to try to advocate for better online child safety, including the possibility of an EU wide age limit for social media.