Minister Byrne to chair first EU General Affairs Council of the Irish EU Presidency

Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, will today (14 July) chair the EU General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels. This will be the first meeting of the General Affairs Council under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Minister said: "I look forward to chairing the General Affairs Council in the coming six months. I will be presenting Ireland's Presidency priorities at this Council today, which include key files like the next EU long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework, competitiveness, including the One Europe One Market Roadmap, simplification, enlargement, the rule of law, democratic resilience and EU-UK relations."

On progressing negotiations on the EU budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034, Minister Byrne stated: "The Multiannual Financial Framework is a central priority of our EU Presidency. It is the cornerstone of the EU's ambitions for the decade ahead and it underlines the Union's commitment to the citizens and communities in every single Member State who benefit from our long-term budget."

The Minister continued: "While we know the road ahead will be challenging, and difficult decisions will need to be made, I am confident that we can find a balance between the views of Member States in order to reach a timely agreement."

The Council will also take stock of progress made on simplifying EU regulations to-date and consider the path forward. On the simplification agenda, Minister Byrne highlighted its importance for the EU: "As Presidency, our ambition is to drive an ambitious and meaningful simplification agenda that delivers concrete results for businesses and citizens."

During the meeting, Ministers are also expected to approve Council conclusions on the rule of law. Minister Byrne hailed this as a strong signal of Member States' commitment to upholding the rule of the law across the Union.

The Minister said: "I am pleased to see the political will and momentum needed to reinforce the rule of law dialogue in this Council. Today the Irish Presidency will deliver on a key priority of our policy programme - strengthening the rule of law in the EU."

Finally, Minister Byrne will host an informal meeting of GAC Ministers with EU Rapporteur on the Future of the Single Market, Professor Enrico Letta.

The Minister welcomed this productive exchange, noting: "I look forward to hearing Professor Letta's invaluable insights on the One Europe, One Market Roadmap. With competitiveness at the heart of our Presidency, the Roadmap sets out an ambitious timetable of work for the weeks and months ahead and I am interested in his and my colleagues' views on what we can do to further strengthen our European economies to benefit citizens and businesses."

ENDS

Press Office

14 July 2026

The One Europe, One Market Roadmap is an agreement between the Council, the European Commission, and European Parliament to progress the European competitiveness agenda across more than 42 proposals and initiatives across simplification, trade, the Single Market, energy and decarbonisation, and Digital and AI Policy.