New Delhi, July 2: The Ireland Embassy has launched the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in India in New Delhi. Ireland will guide negotiations among the EU’s 27 member states, chair council meetings, help advance the Union’s legislative agenda, and foster consensus on key policy issues affecting more than 450 million European citizens starting from July 1 to December 31st, 2026.
This will be the eighth time Ireland has held the rotating Presidency. Irish Presidency will focus on three overarching priorities that are competitiveness, Values and security under the motto ‘Strength with Unity’.
In his opening remarks, Irish Ambassador, Kevin Kelly highlighted that Ireland assumes the Presidency at a time of profound geopolitical change, with ongoing conflicts, rapid technological transformation and increasing pressure on the multilateral system. He restated Ireland’s commitment to working closely with its European partners to deliver a more competitive, secure and resilient Europe while upholding the Union’s shared democratic values. Ambassador further emphasised that strengthening European Union’s strategic partnership with India would be a key priority during Ireland’s Presidency, particularly across trade, technology, research, connectivity, maritime security, resilient supply chains and digital cooperation.
The panel discussion, featured EU Ambassador Hervé Delphin, Irish Ambassador Kevin Kelly, senior journalist Suhasini Haidar, and strategic affairs expert C Raja Mohan. The discussion centered around the evolving India–EU partnership amid a rapidly changing global geopolitical landscape.
