Ireland takes up the Presidency of the Council of the European Union today, and it has made clear that building a stronger relationship between the UK and the EU will be one of its priorities. For everyone who believes the UK belongs at the heart of Europe, that is good news.

The Presidency runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026. For those six months, Ireland is in the driving seat, setting the agenda, chairing the negotiations, and bringing 27 governments together to get things done. It is a role that carries real influence over the direction of EU policy, and Ireland has held it seven times before, most recently in 2013. But so much has happened since then, most notably the UK leaving the EU.

This time, the UK is written directly into the plan. Ireland's official programme describes the UK as a vital partner for the EU, and commits to advancing positive relations with it, alongside the United States and Canada.

That commitment goes beyond words. Ireland will likely invite UK government ministers to informal meetings it will host over the six months. It is a small but significant gesture, and a sign of how seriously Ireland is taking the job of bringing the UK and the EU closer together.

Ireland is the EU member state most closely bound to the UK economically. Irish and British businesses run deeply integrated supply chains across goods, services, energy, finance, higher education and research, and choices made at EU level have immediate consequences for investment, jobs and growth across these islands. A closer partnership means more opportunity on both sides of the Irish Sea.

The wider Presidency is built around three themes: competitiveness, values and security. Ireland has said it wants a Presidency defined by action and by delivery, with work planned on the EU's long-term budget for 2028 to 2034, the single market, enlargement, and continued support for Ukraine.

Placing the UK relationship within that framework matters. It treats closer cooperation with the UK as part of Europe's own strength and stability. That is exactly the kind of partnership we want to build: one measured in the practical benefits it delivers for people, across the economy, opportunities for young people, safety and security, energy and the environment, and health.

The timing is significant. With trust between the UK and the EU steadily growing, having a close friend of the UK in the Presidency chair for the second half of 2026 is a real opportunity, especially for the next UK-EU summit later this year. It is a chance to move forward together, on the areas where working more closely would improve life for people in both the UK and the EU.

Ireland understands the value of that partnership better than most. Its own membership of the EU has, in the government's own words, transformed the country, supporting peace, prosperity and opportunity. Over the next six months, it is well placed to make the case, from the inside, for a future where the UK and Europe move forward together.