7 minute read / March 3, 2026
After talking to a number of businesses and individuals, we have realised there is little knowledge about the upcoming Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council, starting on 01 July 2026.
Therefore, we decided to launch an awareness raising campaign, named #EPNConsResearch4Ireland, informing on this event, the EU in general, and the EU funding schemes. We will publish brief posts at least twice a week.
If you would like to advertise your initiatives to be held before and during the Presidency semester, please get in touch!
Since 03 March 2026, when the #EPNConsResearch4Ireland raising awareness campaign was launched, we have published info on:
MARCH 2026 – 1st month of initiative
05 Mar 2026 – Rotating Presidency of the EU Council
09 Mar 2026 – Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council website
11 Mar 2026 – What the EU Council does
13 Mar 2026 – How much do you know about the EU Parliament?
16 Mar 2026 – Are you enjoying the raising awareness campaign we have launched to publicise next semester’s #Ireland’s Presidency of the #EUCouncil ? Every week you will get info on the EU, its bodies, its funding mechanisms, and more
18 Mar 2026 – The Legislative Powers of EU Parliament
20 Mar 2026 – The Budgetary Powers of EU Parliament
23 Mar 2026 – What “The Lisbon Treaty” is in practice
25 Mar 2026 – Do you know the EU has got a budget? How is the EU funded and what is the money invested in?
27 Mar 2026 – 2021-2027 EU budget, amended in 2024
30 Mar 2026 – The 2028-2034 EU budget for a stronger Europe
APRIL 2026 – 2nd month of initiative
01 Apr 2026 – What does the European Commission do?
08 Apr 2026 – Commission work programme 2026
10 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Directorate-Generals and Executive Agencies
13 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Priorities: Competitiveness
15 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Priorities: Security and Defence
17 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Priorities: European Social Fairness
20 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Priorities: Quality of Life
22 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Priorities: Democracy and our values
24 Apr 2026 – The Commission’s Priorities: A Global Europe
27 Apr 2026 – Which are the conditions to become an EU Member State?
29 Apr 2026 – Which are the steps for countries for joining the EU?
MAY 2026 – 3rd month of initiative
01 May 2026 – History of the EU Enlargement: from 6 to 27 members
05 May 2026 – EU Enlargement: Candidate countries and potential candidates
07 May 2026 – What is the Eastern Partnership?
09 May 2026 – Europe Day
11 May 2026 – How EU Treaties shaped the Council of the EU and the European Council
13 May 2026 – The Schuman Declaration
15 May 2026 – What are the EU’s Aims and Values?
20 May 2026 – Who is in charge of Transport and Mobility issues in the EU? DG MOVE
22 May 2026 – Who is in charge of Energy issues in the EU? DG ENER
25 May 2026 – Who is in charge of Environmental issues in the EU? DG ENV
27 May 2026 – The European Environmental Agency (EEA) is an EU agency. It provides insights on the state of Europe’s environment and actively supports Europe’s #environment and #climate policies
29 May 2026 – Who is in change of Climate issues in the EU? DG CLIMA
JUNE 2026 – 4th month of initiative
02 June 2026 – Who is in change of ICT, AI, Digital topics in the EU? DG CNET
04 June 2026 – Who is in change of Research and Innovation topics in the EU? DG RTD
08 June 2026 – Who is in change of Agriculture and rural topics in the EU? DG AGRI
10 June 2026 – Who is in change of Defence industry and Space topics in the EU? DG DEFIS
12 June 2026 – Who is in change of EU policy on Competition and for enforcing EU competition rules, in cooperation with national competition authorities? DG COMP
15 June 2026 – Who is in change of managing the EU #budget and ensuring that it is used responsibly, transparently and in line with the Union’s priorities? DG BUDG
17 June 2026 – Who is in change of defining and monitoring the Commission’s corporate image to ensure it aligns with its values and objectives? DG COMM
19 June 2026 – Who is in change of developing policies that contribute to a knowledge-based, inclusive Europe with a competitive economy? DG EAC (Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)
22 June 2026 – On 01 July 2026 Ireland will start its rotating Presidency of the EU Council that will be held until 31 Dec 2026. The presidency’s website is now live
24 June 2026 – On 01 July 2026 Ireland will start its rotating Presidency of the EU Council. This marks the beginning of a trio of EU Council presidencies including Ireland H2 2026), Lithuania (H1 2027) and Greece (H2 2027)
26 June 2026 – On 01 July 2026 Ireland will start its rotating Presidency of the EU Council. Which tasks does it perform?
29 June 2026 – On 01 July 2026 Ireland will start its rotating Presidency of the EU Council. Which are the benefits of EU membership for Ireland?
JULY 2026 – 5th month of initiative
01 July 2026 – Today Ireland starts its rotating Presidency of the EU Council and will last until 31 Dec 2026
03 July 2026 – Ireland has just started its rotating Presidency of the EU Council: its programme for the next 6 months
06 July 2026 – Ireland has just started its rotating Presidency of the EU Council. What is the Economic forecast for Ireland?
07 July 2026 – The Working Party on International Environment Issues-Climate Change Informal Workshop will be held in Dublin on 7-8 July 2026
08 July 2026 – The visual identity of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council emphasises the interdependence and interconnectedness of all member states of the EU
10 July 2026 – Ireland is hosting its rotating Presidency of the EU Council and many decisions will be taken in the next 6 months. DYK the different types of legislation that will convert those decisions in actions?
13 July 2026 – According to the special 2026 Digital Decade Eurobarometer 84% of Irish citizens consider digital policy as a high EU priority
16 July 2026 – Europe’s innovation performance strengthens amidst global competition. Which is Ireland’s position in the 2026 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS)?
20 July 2026 – There are tens of EU funding schemes available. If you’d like to know more and be guided through, get in touch with us
22 July 2026 – Horizon Europe is the largest EU funding scheme for SMEs, research and businesses. Get in touch with us to be guided through
24 July 2026 – Horizon Europe was designed to cover multiple research and business sectors
28 July 2026 – Horizon Europe funding can cover up to 100% of your project costs
31 July 2026 – The 2021-27 budget of Horizon Europe is €93.5bn while the proposed 2028-34 budget is €175bn
AUGUST 2026 – 6th month of initiative
03 Aug 2026 – In Horizon Europe you can submit project proposals focused on research (RIA), implementation (IA), activities to strengthen the European research ecosystem (CSA), and partnerships co-funding (COFUND)
05 Aug 2026 – The 2028-34 Horizon Europe could develop moonshots projects on these cutting-edge topics
07 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe includes EU Missions, large-scale initiatives under Horizon Europe setting clear, time-bound goals that drive focused efforts towards some of our greatest challenges such as climate change, cancer, ocean restoration, soil health, and the development of climate-neutral and smart cities
10 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe’s EU Mission on “Climate-neutral and Smart Cities” involves a number of actions. Click on the link to read more
12 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe’s EU Mission on “Oceans and Waters” involves a number of actions. Click on the link to read more
14 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe’s EU Mission on “Soil” involves a number of actions. Click on the link to read more
17 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe’s EU Mission on “Cancer” involves a number of actions. Click on the link to read more
19 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe’s EU Mission on “Adaptation to Climate Change” involves a number of actions. Click on the link to read more
21 Aug 2026 – Horizon Europe’s EIC (European Innovation Council) funding opportunities are described in the related webpage. Click on the link to read more
24 Aug 2026 – SMEs could get their innovative ideas funded up to €2.5 million when participating in the Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator scheme No consortium required. Get in touch with us to know how we could help
26 Aug 2026 – EIE acts in complement and synergy with the EIC, EIT and innovative activities across Horizon Europe to improve the overall Ecosystem for Innovation in Europe (EIE)
28 Aug 2026 – EIT plays a key role in Pillar 3 of Horizon Europe’s “Innovative Europe”. With a €3 billion budget, it strengthens sustainable innovation ecosystems and supports entrepreneurial education
31 Aug 2026 – Japan joined Horizon Europe as the 23rd associated country. And the other 22?
SEPTEMBER 2026 – 7th month of initiative
02 Sept 2026 – On 16 Sept the speech on the “State of the Union 2026” will be broadcast online. DYK what is SOTEU and why is it relevant for you?
04 Sept 2026 – DYK what Horizon Europe’s “Pillar 1” is dedicated to? “Excellent Science” and includes the European Research Council (ERC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and Research Infrastructures
07 Sept 2026 – DYK what Horizon Europe’s “Pillar 2” is dedicated to? “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness” and is divided into six distinct areas (Clusters), alongside the direct actions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC)
09 Sept 2026 – DYK what Horizon Europe’s “Pillar 3” is dedicated to? Innovative Europe and includes the European Innovation Council (EIC), European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE), and the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT)
11 Sept 2026 – On 16 September the European Mobility Week will be back. The focus on “Mobility for Everyone” aims to ensure no one is left behind in the shift toward Sustainable Transport
14 Sept 2026 – DYK you can find updates on EU activities on the News section of our website?
16 Sept 2026 – DYK you can find a list of relevant EU events on the Events section of our website?
18 Sept 2026 – DYK you can receive the monthly EPNConsResearch Newsletter for free? Would you like to receive customised newsletters tailored around your specific themes/topics? Contact us
21 Sept 2026 – DYK what is Erasmus+? It is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. The 2021-2027 programme has an allocated budget of €26.2 billion
23 Sept 2026 – DYK what is the structure of the Erasmus+ Programme? There 3 Key Actions (KAs) and the #JeanMonnet Actions
25 Sept 2026 – DYK how many projects has Erasmus+ supported in Ireland? How many grants have been offered, and to how many organisations?
28 Sept 2026 – DYK the LIFE programme began in 1992 and has co-financed thousands of projects in the field of environmental protection?
30 Sept 2026 – DYK the 2021-2027 LIFE programme is divided into four sub-programmes whose one is Climate Change mitigation and adaptation?
OCTOBER 2026 – 8th month of initiative
02 Oct 2026 – DYK how many projects Ireland participated in the LIFE Programme?
and more will follow!
