EU Insight 10 July 2026

Brussels, 10 July 2026

IRISH PRESIDENCY KICKS OFF WITH COMMISSIONERS’ VISIT AND DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT

The Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which began on 1 July under the motto ‘Strength with unity’, is now fully underway, with competitiveness, European values and security set as its overarching priorities. The College of Commissioners travelled to Cork for the traditional opening visit, where discussions focused on translating Europe’s research and innovation strengths into scale, accelerating work on the One Europe, One Market roadmap, advancing joint defence procurement under the SAFE programme and preparing negotiations on the next long-term EU budget. In Strasbourg, Taoiseach Micheál Martin presented the Presidency’s programme to MEPs, highlighting plans to deepen the Single Market, support Ukraine, strengthen European security and resilience, advance enlargement with Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans.

COMMISSION UNVEILS ACTION PLAN ON AI AND CYBERSECURITY

The Commission has presented an Action Plan setting out how the EU should address the growing role of advanced AI in cybersecurity. The initiative responds to concerns that advanced AI, while helpful for defending digital systems, can also be used to spot vulnerabilities and scale up attacks more quickly and cheaply. Rather than introducing new rules, the plan focuses on implementing the existing EU framework, notably the AI Act and cybersecurity rules, through practical measures. These include an EU facility to test AI‑based cybersecurity tools in controlled conditions, a new EU‑level capacity to evaluate AI models, and support for efforts to fix weaknesses in widely used open‑source software.

COMMISSION’S LIVESTOCK STRATEGY PAVES THE WAY FOR MORE EU-GROWN PROTEIN

The Commission has adopted its first Livestock Strategy, setting out a long‑term vision for a sector facing economic, environmental and market pressures. It recognises livestock farming’s role in food security and rural economies and proposes measures to improve risk‑management tools and access to finance in order to strengthen resilience, profitability and competitiveness. The strategy also aims to reflect the diversity of production across the Union by reinforcing origin labelling and introducing a European Excellence scheme to highlight higher standards, sustainability and specific product characteristics. A linked Protein Action Plan sets a target to raise the share of EU‑produced protein from oilseeds and protein crops used as feed from 25% to 35% by 2035, to reduce import dependence and support European food security.

PARLIAMENT CLEARS WAY FOR NEGOTIATIONS ON DIGITAL EURO

The European Parliament has endorsed opening talks with the Council on legislation to create a digital euro. The proposal, tabled by the Commission in 2023, would introduce an electronic form of central bank money intended as the digital equivalent of cash. Member States agreed their position in late 2025, but negotiations in Parliament proved politically sensitive, amid differing views on the need for a digital euro. The mandate agreed in plenary means interinstitutional talks can now start, under strong pressure from the European Central Bank and the Commission to move the file forward. Parliament’s position underlines privacy safeguards, limits on individual holdings and broad merchant acceptance, while keeping cash in full circulation.

PARLIAMENT ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE GREENLIGHTS AMENDMENTS TO CBAM

Parliament’s Environment Committee has adopted its position on the Commission’s proposal to revise the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). MEPs broadly back extending CBAM beyond basic materials to a wider range of downstream products, while tightening anti‑circumvention rules to address practices such as slight processing or misreporting of origin. They also removed the Commission’s proposed safeguard allowing goods to be taken out of CBAM in the event of price shocks, instead proposing that revenues from the affected products could be temporarily redirected to the sectors concerned. In a related vote, the Committee agreed its position on a temporary decarbonisation fund to support EU producers facing higher costs in export markets.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK

• 13 July: Foreign Affairs Council. On the agenda: Ukraine, Middle East, Black Sea and EU-UN relations.
• 13 July: Agriculture and Fisheries Council. On the agenda: Livestock strategy and protein plan, women in agriculture, and trade-related agricultural issues.
• 14 July: General Affairs Council. On the agenda: Presidency priorities, simplification and rule of law.
• 16-17 July: Informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers.
• 17 July: College of Commissioners. On the agenda: Energy package, ETS review, 2026 rule of law report, report on the competitiveness of the banking sector.