The EU Presidency gives Ireland the opportunity to set the agenda, lead discussions and influence decisions that will be felt across Europe, including Ireland, in the coming years. We should use that opportunity ambitiously. Over the next six months, there will be hundreds of meetings and countless headlines, but for the families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis here and with issues like accessing childcare, none of this will matter unless we can deliver results that work for them. The Government has identified priorities, including strengthening competitiveness, enlargement, security and delivering an EU budget. The decisions taken over the coming months will shape Ireland and Europe more widely for years to come. A major objective is advancing EU enlargement, and President Zelenskyy coming yesterday underscored that. Ireland, rightly, strongly supports Ukrainian membership. However, enlargement must be accompanied by reform. We must streamline how the EU institutions make their decisions. We have repeatedly seen how a single veto can paralyse the European Union. If Europe is to become larger, it must also become more effective and make decisions faster. The most important challenge that the Government may face is the multi-annual financial framework, MFF. There are growing demands to increase funding for security, research and competitiveness, all of which is understandable, but with that comes pressure to divert funding from agriculture and cohesion, which Ireland has often pulled from. As a significant net contributor, Ireland has influence. We must use that influence wisely. The Government must insist that new priorities be funded through new EU revenues, not through cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. Ireland must place food security firmly on the agenda. This means protecting agricultural land, supporting family farms and ensuring that Europe remains capable of feeding itself. Food security is no longer a future issue. This summer, Europe is once again experiencing prolonged droughts and extreme weather events, damaging harvests and reducing output. Europe cannot allow itself to become increasingly dependent on imports of food while simultaneously reducing its own capacity for production. Ireland must firmly stand against attempts to weaken the CAP and undermine investment to protect Ireland and Europe's long-term food security. I have four questions. Will Ireland support institutional reform of the EU to ensure that decisions on issues like Palestine and enlargement of the EU bloc can happen quickly? Does the Government support the EU having new revenue sources to fund new priorities? Will it ensure that the next EU budget continues to fund food security? Will the CAP be protected?

Sentiment score: 0.21

We both know that Europe works by consensus and that there is only so much we can do to facilitate as an honest broker. While competitiveness is incredibly important, with the capital markets union and the 28th regime coming forward, workers' rights were not mentioned once yesterday at the event in Dublin Castle. This gives us an opportunity to bring the Irish people with us rather than this Presidency just being felt within the bubble of Leinster House. I am not sure if people outside these walls understand its importance or understand it will directly affect them. This question is at national level rather than supranational level, but what concrete milestones does the Government have in mind for us to achieve during the six months we have the Presidency that will benefit Irish people outside the walls of Leinster House?

Sentiment score: 0.39