Ireland has outlined an ambitious health agenda for its presidency of the Council of the European Union, prioritizing the bloc’s life sciences competition, digital health infrastructure and cardiovascular disease prevention, leaving more specific regulatory questions – including the governance of tobacco and new nicotine products – to sector-level policy discussions.
The priorities emerged in a written parliamentary response from Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the health minister, in response to a question from deputy Colm Burke on Ireland’s contribution to the 18-month Trio Presidency program being run alongside Lithuania and Greece.
The minister confirmed that the comprehensive Trio program is structured around three strategic pillars – a free and democratic Europe, a strong and secure Europe and a prosperous and competitive Europe – and does not directly address tobacco or new nicotine products, describing the program as a high-level strategic document that does not refer to specific EU legislation.
Biotechnology as the main priority
Ireland’s most prominent health legislative priority for the presidency is the Biotech Act I, published in December 2025, which the minister described as a strategic priority for EU competitiveness and sovereignty. The legislation simplifies regulatory requirements across clinical trials, advanced therapy medicinal products and bio-manufacturing, and is supported by €10 billion in investment financing mobilized through a joint initiative with the European Investment Bank for 2026 and 2027.
The minister said the act would “dominate health policy discussions” during Ireland’s presidency, citing Ireland’s established enterprise base in pharmaceuticals and its track record in clinical trials, giving the country a distinct stake in its passage.
Also on the agenda are changes to the Medical Devices Regulation and the In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation, published alongside the Biotech Act. The revisions are expected to generate between €3 billion and €5 billion in annual cost savings for manufacturers, accelerate patient access to innovative devices and address chronic shortages of critical medical equipment.
Cardiovascular and public health
The EU’s Safe Heart Plan, which aims for a 25 percent reduction in premature cardiovascular deaths by 2035, will also be advanced during the presidency. The plan calls for a shift from treatment to prevention and includes specific measures targeting tobacco and smoking – the minister’s indirect admission that nicotine regulation will be included in the work of the presidency, even if it is outside the high-level Trio program.
Carroll MacNeill said Ireland will strive to position the health and well-being of its population as a basis for European security and competitiveness, arguing that health innovation and economic productivity are mutually reinforcing rather than competing priorities.
Digital health and pandemic preparedness
Ireland’s presidency will also push forward the European Health Data Space, the EU’s digital health strategy, as part of a wider effort to modernize the delivery of health services across member states. Additional files expected to progress include the Critical Medicines Act, the annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement on pathogen access and benefit-sharing, and reforms to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, depending on progress made during the previous Cyprus presidency.
The minister’s statement reflects a strategic framework that aligns Dublin’s health priorities with the European Commission’s work program for 2026 and the “Choose Europe for life sciences” strategy, which aims to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the pharmaceutical sector and global competitiveness.
The Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU will last six months from January 2026.
(VA)
