When Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July 1 for the eighth time, we will have a central role in shaping decisions that affect the lives of every citizen across our Union. Our Presidency program is focused on delivering tangible improvements to European citizens’ daily lives.

For the next six months, Dublin will try to play neutral on defence and Middle East policy while simultaneously pushing for a contentious EU budget deal that many in Brussels…

Intergovernmental bargaining makes up much of the EU’s activit