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Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan has warned that the projected cost of Ireland’s six‑month EU Presidency is “spiralling into territory that no previous Presidency has ever approached.”
Deputy Nolan was speaking after submitting a parliamentary question on the matter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee. The question asked her to explain the reported potential of a €400 million cost of the forthcoming EU presidency; the reason it is costing over six times the cost of the last presidency in 2013; and how it can be justified that Ireland is spending multiples of what other countries who recently held the presidency.
“Let’s just put this in plain terms. Recent EU Presidencies emphatically underline just how far Ireland’s projected costs have drifted from the European norm. Cyprus expects to have spent about €95 million on its 2026 term; Denmark came in at roughly €80 million; and the Czech Republic’s independently audited 2022 Presidency cost €84 million which is about €95 million in today’s prices,” said Deputy Nolan.
“Against that backdrop, Ireland’s own projected cost of €125 million for security alone, places us significantly above the level of comparable Member States,” she said.
“This stark disparity raises unavoidable questions about proportionality and whether Irish taxpayers are being asked to shoulder a burden far beyond what other countries would consider reasonable.”
“If the final cost is €400 million, then one single month of Ireland’s 2026 Presidency would cost roughly €66 million. This is more than the entire 2013 Presidency, which cost about €60 million. That is an extraordinary escalation even if we do take into account the additional meetings.”
The Department’s reply confirmed only €165–185 million excluding security, while admitting that security costs, often one of the largest components, have not been published. It said that the final bill will not be known until 2027.
“This reeks of selective disclosure. The Government is giving the public half the picture and expecting them to accept the rest on trust,” Deputy Nolan added.
Deputy Nolan also challenged the Ministers claim that comparisons with other EU Member States are “difficult to make”:
“If Ireland is spending more than other countries, the public deserves to know why. If Ireland is counting costs that others don’t, then say so. But don’t hide behind vague explanations. This is public money.”
“We are told that the scale of meetings has doubled, that delegations are larger, that major summits are being hosted. That is all fine. But none of that excuses the absence of full costings, or even a breakdown of estimates.”
“When one month of a Presidency in 2026 could cost more than the entire 2013 term, people are entitled to demand answers and I intend to keep demanding them,” concluded Deputy Nolan.
However, Minister McEntee said in her reply to Deputy Nolan that “comparisons with the last Irish Presidency, which took place over 13 years ago, do not take account of the difference in scale.”
“In 2013, for example, Ireland hosted 11 informal Ministerial meetings but in 2026, we will have 22, with 6 of those taking place outside Dublin. There were no major Summit meetings in 2013 whereas in 2026 we will host a meeting of the European Political Community, the largest ever international meeting at leadership level attended by 55 countries as well as an informal European Council,” she said.
“More generally, in the next six months, over 250 official-level Presidency meetings will be held in Ireland, attended by larger delegations than was the case in 2013. Logistical and operational costings are based on market research on prevailing costs of relevant goods and services,” the Minister added.
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