Ireland takes EU Council presidency, pledging record spending on security

Ireland assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union for the second half of this year, taking charge of the policy agenda at European Council meetings.

Ireland began its six-month term Tuesday, under the EU's system of rotating presidencies held by each member state in turn. Dublin will now chair a range of meetings in Brussels and at home, and host major EU events. It is the eighth time Ireland has held the presidency since joining the bloc in 1973. The country has a population of about 5.4 million.

Politico Europe reported that Ireland has allocated 293 million euros ($335 million) for its presidency — more than three times the 95 million euros spent by Cyprus, which held the presidency in the first half of this year, and the 80 million euros Denmark spent during its term in the second half of last year. Ireland, a militarily neutral state, has directed roughly half the total budget toward bolstering security and law enforcement in preparation for a series of high-level European visits.

The most pressing task on Ireland's agenda is reaching a deal by year's end on the EU's long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, a process complicated by sharp divisions among member states.

Wealthier net contributors, including Germany, have called for cuts to the European Commission's proposed 2 trillion euro budget, calling it "unaffordable." Cyprus, which held the presidency in the first half of this year, had proposed a 2 percent cut.

Eastern and southern European countries that receive more EU funding, however, are pushing for the budget to be increased.

A string of other contentious issues also awaits Ireland's presidency: additional sanctions against Russia, negotiations over Ukraine's EU accession, increases in member states' defense spending, adjustments to EU regulation, online child protection, reform of the carbon emissions trading system, and the introduction of a digital euro.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said Europe was "at a critical turning point" and pledged to make strengthening the bloc's economic competitiveness, defending its core values, and ensuring citizens' safety the top priorities of the presidency. He also said Ireland would continue to support Ukraine.

The opening ceremony of the presidency, held Tuesday at Dublin Castle, was attended not only by Martin and European Council President António Costa but also by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Irish Times reported.