Blog

Ireland’s EU Presidency: A Report from our Member Townhall

Posted on
24 Oct 2025
by Lily Power

On 24 September 2025, we held a Townhall event for members of The Wheel to discuss priorities for Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the European Union. We believe that the presidency provides a unique opportunity for civil society and the community and voluntary sector to influence key European policies. Given this opportunity, we wanted to hear directly from our members on the issues that matter to them. 

The event began with speakers from European Civic Forum, European Movement Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, National Youth Council of Ireland, Connections Arts Centre and Aontas. Each of our guests spoke about the significance of the presidency period for their organisation and outlined their key advocacy priorities: 

  • Focus the Irish Presidency on EU social and democratic values  

  • Strengthen the connection between Irish people, charity sector and EU stakeholders 

  • Impact on the negotiation of the Multi Annual Financial Framework 

  • Champion democratic processes and civic engagement in Ireland and the EU 

  • Provide leadership on the erosion and democratic and social values in the EU 

  • Focus on the Union of skills and access to education to fight misinformation/disinformation and improve social cohesion 

  • Influence the EU on mainstreaming disability rights and align national strategy with EU strategy on disability. 

  • Improve engagement of Irish young people to EU institutions and others. 

 

Attendees were representative of a broad range of organisations, working in diverse areas that include:  

  • disability;  

  • animal welfare;  

  • migration and integration;  

  • adult education;  

  • youth work;  

  • LGBTQI+ rights;  

  • civil liberties;  

  • housing;  

  • social care; and  

  • education 

 

After the informative presentations, attendees first discussed their overarching priorities and goals for the Irish presidency. A wide range of issues were highlighted, and some recurring themes included:  

  • progressing rights and protections for migrants and people seeking international protection;  

  • the European Council’s recommendation on homelessness; 

  • promotion of social enterprise;  

  • reversing the deregulation of climate protections; and 

  • improving interactions between civil society organisations and the EU more generally. 

 

Several participants also raised the issue of threats to civil society spaces across Europe and rising anti-NGO sentiment linked to the far right.  

Youth work and young people’s engagement in European affairs was also discussed, with attendees referencing the value of Erasmus+ programmes and the need to encourage youth participation in decision making at EU level. 

Some attendees felt that the Irish government should be utilising the presidency to lead on protecting European values, including a healthy civic space, human rights, equality and diversity.  

Engaging with European institutions and applying for EU funding can often be challenging for smaller organisations, communities of Public Participation Networks (PPNs), and especially those reliant on volunteers. This was seen as an area in which the presidency and an increased awareness of the EU in Ireland might prove beneficial. It was also noted that cross-border initiatives should be included in the focus of the presidency and that Northern Ireland is often overlooked. 

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU budgeting process, was also discussed as an important vehicle that civil society in Ireland should be able to engage with. 

Moving to the second area of discussion, attendees discussed what The Wheel could do for its members in the lead-up to the presidency. Many attendees noted that smaller organisations do not have the capacity to plan or contribute much in this area, so providing information and opportunities to engage with policymakers is very valuable to them. Similarly, representing the needs of these organisations in the context of the EU presidency was also seen as an important contribution. The necessity to include marginalised groups directly was also emphasised.  

It was suggested that The Wheel could connect organisations working in similar areas, to avoid duplication of work and to enable organisations to collaborate more effectively on advocacy around the presidency. There is significant benefit to amplifying each other’s messages and working together on joint submissions or campaigns to maximise impact. PPNs, adult education networks, and volunteer centres, it was suggested, could also be valuable in disseminating information about the presidency. 

In terms of specific policy areas that The Wheel should focus on, several attendees felt that housing was a priority and impacted many other areas of work for the community and voluntary sector. The EU context might, it was suggested, provide an impetus for change that is not currently present at national level. Similarly, the EU presidency was seen as important in pushing forward advocacy on climate and biodiversity policy. 

Attendees spoke about the Irish presidency providing an opportunity to change the narrative on civil society at European level and to promote the positive impact of the sector.  

The Wheel could play a role in showcasing the work of the sector as well as communicating opportunities back to the sector. The human story is key, one attendee stated, and this approach is vital in countering misinformation and connecting the presidency to real issues.