Name: Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Ordinary meeting
Uploaded: 2026-07-13T13:00:00+00:00
Duration: 10529 s

08:25 - 11:40

Speaker 2

Good afternoon, dear colleagues. Let's start the committee meeting today. I will start by the adoption of agenda. If there are no objections, the draft agenda is adopted. And I have to submit you the following change to the draft agenda before we take as adopted.

On item 13, the vote on the draft report on measures to facilitate consular protection for unrepresented citizens of the Union in third countries, that is cancelled. The rest of the agenda remains unchanged and we can adopt it. On announcements, just let me inform you that, well, I happen to have been nominated as the author for the LIBE resolution on the upcoming EU anti-corruption strategy that will be voted tomorrow, I understand. The outcome of the coordinators' meeting of the 2nd of July 2026 is already in the meeting documents where you will find it. So I just ask the committee whether they endorse the coordinators' decisions and recommendations.

Well, if that is the case, then it is my pleasure today to welcome Mr. Thomas Byrne, Ireland's Minister of State for European Affairs. Minister Byrne is here to present the Irish Council Presidency's priorities on matters related to the rule of law. And let me point it out just to frame our exchange properly that the Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration will come to LIBE on the 28th of September and we will have the opportunity to discuss with him all the issues related to justice and home affairs, apart from the issues related to rule of law that will be addressed by Mr. Byrne. Mr. Byrne, I know that values are one of the key pillars of your presidency program for the six months ahead, and this is something that we in LIBE very much welcome. Many of your priorities in this field cover issues that this committee devotes considerable time and energy promoting and defending.

So let me start by giving you the floor for your opening remarks, Minister Byrne, for a maximum of 10 minutes, and following your presentation, there will be an exchange of views with LIBE members. So Minister Byrne, welcome again to LIBE committee and I'm glad to give you the floor.

11:41 - 15:29

Speaker 1

I very much look forward to engaging with you today and indeed to working with you in the period ahead. As the chairperson has noted, my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Mr. Jim O'Callaghan, will address LIBE on the 28th of September and he will set out our plans and ambitions in the Justice and Home Affairs area. Today I will focus principally on the rule of law at the General Affairs Council, which I will have the honor of chairing over the next six months. First, a few general words. Ireland assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the eighth time just under two weeks ago.

This is a significant responsibility for Ireland at a time of global change and challenge. Ireland's priorities for the EU presidency reflect what Europe needs to do to deliver effectively for people across the 27 EU member states. Our priorities have been developed through broad consultation with our European partners. Focusing on three core themes, the Irish presidency will work to boost the competitiveness of our economy, provide for the security of our citizens, and safeguard the values of our union at home and abroad. These themes are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.

I will set out briefly some key files before expanding in greater detail on our plans to uphold and promote the union's values. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, has rightly identified 2026 as the European Year of Competitiveness. The need for urgent action to enhance Europe's competitiveness and productivity is clear. We want to boost European competitiveness by focusing on the blueprint set out in the One Europe, One Market roadmap. In my role as chair of the EU General Affairs Council, I will work with colleagues to simplify rules and ensure a smarter, more coherent regulatory framework for citizens and business by cutting unnecessary red tape.

In the area of security, we know that no country acting alone can address the entirety of existing and emerging security challenges. The Irish presidency will ensure that the EU maintains its solidarity with Ukraine. We will support collaboration to address critical capability gaps and build resilience, including in the face of hybrid threats and cybersecurity. I see EU enlargement as an investment in our European future and a way to tackle instability on the continent. During our presidency, I want to see solid progress made on the candidacies of Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Pursuing agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework is an overarching priority for the presidency. By finding agreement on the next EU budget, we can invest in the lives and livelihoods of our citizens and communities across Ireland and Europe. Our values, though, are the foundation of our European Union. They are part of what makes Europe a good place to live and work, and they underpin our competitiveness and our security. Upholding and promoting these values, including the rule of law, will be a central priority of the Irish presidency.

At a time where challenges to our core values are increasingly emerging from both outside and inside the union, I believe that we should place an even stronger focus on fostering and protecting those values. Rule of law is a prerequisite for the functioning of our democracies and respect of fundamental rights, and a key condition for our very living together in the union. Indeed, as I often say at the Council of Ministers, the rule of law is the sine qua non of our single market and therefore the foundation of our shared prosperity.