Ireland’s symbolic assumption of the EU Council Presidency. In the picture: H.E. Catherine Bannon, Ambassador of Ireland in Bulgaria, and Vasil Todorov, Vice President of BCCI
The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry once again hosted a meeting of the Euroclub at BCCI, devoted to the finalised Cypriot Presidency and to the priorities of Ireland which has taken on the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union since 1 July 2026.
The event was opened by Dr Vasil Todorov, Vice President of BCCI. He emphasised that the Euroclub had established itself as a platform for dialogue among the diplomatic community, government institutions, academia and businesses, which contributes to the better understanding of the European policies and their influence on the economy.
“For the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the priorities of every presidency are directly connected with the interests of the European business community. Our members expect a predictable regulatory environment, smaller administrative burden, stronger support for small and medium-sized enterprises, better access to a skilled workforce, sustainable investments and fuller integration within the Single European Market,” Dr Todorov stated.
Due to the absence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Haralambos Kafkarides, the results from the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council (January–June 2026) were presented by Prof. Ingrid Shikova, Chairperson of the Euroclub.
The Cypriot Presidency focused on strengthening the European Union’s competitiveness, security and sustainability under the conditions of a dynamic geopolitical and economic environment. Its key achievements included the progress under the “One Europe, One Market” Roadmap, the development of the European defence policy through the SAFE instrument, as well as the preparations of the negotiations under the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU. Significant progress was also recorded in the policy of enlargement with Montenegro and Albania, as well as regarding the European prospect of Ukraine and Moldova.
A chief guest at the meeting was H.E. Catherine Bannon, Ambassador of Ireland in Bulgaria, who presented the priorities of the Irish Presidency for the period July–December 2026. She stated before the participants—representatives of the diplomatic corps, government administration, businesses and academia: “Ireland is preparing extremely seriously for its eighth presidency of the EU Council.“
Before outlining the priorities and the goals, set for the country, she drew special attention to Ireland’s choice of the motto: “Strength Through Unity” and its message regarding the EU’s ability to seek and find solutions through dialogue and consensus. Ambassador Catherine Bannon also noted the symbolic similarity to the motto of Bulgaria’s first presidency eight years ago — “Unification Makes Strength” — and pointed out that there is a justified reason for that.
The Irish Presidency will focus on three interrelated priorities: competitiveness, values and security. Ambassador Bannon highlighted the negotiations on the EU’s new Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028–2034 as a key priority of the Presidency. She stated that Ireland’s ambition is to achieve – by the end of the year – maximum progress towards a political agreement on the Union’s future budget.
At the end of her speech, she thanked Cyprus for its successful presidency during the first half of the year and expressed confidence that Ireland will build on and improve the results achieved.
Vasil Todorov and Prof. Ingrid Shikova assured Ambassador Catherine Bannon of BCCI’s readiness to render assistance during the next six months.