Ireland's EU Presidency Launch in Beijing

On 1st July 2026, the Embassy marked the opening of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union with a concert of traditional Irish music and dance by Brú Ború, who travelled to China for the occasion from County Tipperary in Ireland.

H.E. Dr Nicholas O’Brien, Ambassador of Ireland, was joined by other EU Ambassadors, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and key high level contacts for the performance, and to celebrate a core tenant of Irish culture.

Ireland has now taken up the Presidency of the Council of Europe for the 8th time since joining the European Union over 50 years ago. For six months, Ireland will guide negotiations, broker agreement between Member States, and help deliver EU laws and policies that affect the daily lives of more than 450 million people.

The Irish EU Presidency will focus our efforts on enhancing on three areas:

• the competitiveness of the European economy,
• safeguarding the values of the European Union,
• and providing for the security of European citizens.

We will be guided throughout our Presidency by the old Irish proverb “Ní neart go cur le chéile” – strength with unity.

In Ireland, we will host about 270 meetings involving Ministers and officials from across Europe. These will provide an important opportunity to showcase the best of Ireland to our European partners.

Here in China, we look forward to working with EU Member States and the EU Delegation; and to delivering a Presidency programme encompassing cultural events, business and political engagements. We look forward to working with our Chinese partners in this regard.

For more information on Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, please see: https://www.ireland.ie/en/eu/eu_presidency/