Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU
02INTRODUCTION
Strength with unity is the motto of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Three pillars will be the central themes of the Irish Presidency:
- On competitiveness – fostering prosperity and wellbeing
- On values – upholding the indispensable foundation of our Union
- On security – protecting our citizens.
With a view to research and innvation, the Irish Presidency will push to advance negotiations on the EU’s next Research and Innovation Framework Programme, FP10. The aim is to ensure that research remains central to EU policymaking and continues to support economic growth, technological leadership and strategic autonomy.
A major focus will also be the proposed European Innovation Act, designed to improve Europe’s innovation performance and help startups and scaleups grow more effectively across the Single Market. Ireland argues that reducing barriers for innovative companies is crucial if Europe wants to compete globally in high-impact sectors.
The programme highlights investment in key strategic technologies, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, cloud computing and new digital infrastructure. Ireland plans to convene an AI Summit to bring together governments and stakeholders on how to harness AI opportunities while ensuring responsible governance.
In health and life sciences, the Presidency will prioritise legislation on biotechnology, medical devices and digital health, underlining the role of health innovation in strengthening Europe’s industrial base and public resilience. It will also support implementation of the European Health Data Space, seen as an important enabler for research, interoperability and safe AI in healthcare.