“2026 is the year of competitiveness,” said European Council President António Costa during a press conference held in Dublin to mark the start of the Irish presidency. Costa outlined the macroeconomic course for the next six months, emphasizing the urgency of implementing the “One Europe, One Market” agenda to counter global protectionist pressures, and praising Ireland as “the ideal leader” to guide the 27 member states through this economic and geopolitical transition.
The most complex issue on the agenda in Dublin will be the negotiation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s long-term budget, which is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. “We must fund our ambitions in security, defense, competitiveness, and cohesion, and to avoid placing a burden on national budgets, we need to introduce new own resources,” Costa explained, noting that proposals from the Commission and the European Parliament are currently on the table.
©️ European Union, 2026