European environmentalists set “10 Green Tests” for Irish EU Presidency
As Ireland takes the helm of the Council of the EU, a new memorandum from the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) calls on Dublin to shift Europe from short-term deregulation to long-term resilience.
From geopolitical shocks to record-breaking heatwaves and continued efforts to weaken environmental safeguards, the Irish Presidency begins at a moment when the gap between Europe’s environmental reality and its political direction has rarely been more stark.
Brussels, 1 July 2026 – As Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations in Europe, the EEB [1], has called on the Irish Government to steer Europe away from short-term deregulation and towards policies that tackle the root causes of the climate and environmental crises while strengthening Europe´s resilience to their already unfolding impacts.
The call comes as Europe has just experienced its second major heatwave of 2026, with record temperatures once again exposing the growing human, environmental and economic costs of the climate crisis. Yet despite increasingly stark scientific warnings, political momentum has continued to favour dismantling environmental safeguards rather than accelerating their implementation.
Today, the EEB publishes its Ten Green Tests for the Irish Presidency [2], setting out priorities for the next six months, alongside its assessment of the outgoing Cypriot Presidency.
“The science predicted this future, and it is arriving exactly as expected,” said Faustine Bas-Defossez, Policy Director at the EEB.
“Every heatwave reminds us that Europe cannot adapt its way out of a crisis it continues to make worse. Our resilience depends on preventing further climate, biodiversity and pollution damage just as much as preparing for the impacts already unfolding.
“That means investing in nature, climate action and public health – and implementing, not dismantling, the laws designed to protect people and shield us from climate impacts.”
The Irish Presidency begins at a pivotal moment for the European Union. Alongside continued geopolitical instability, the next six months will shape negotiations on the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the future of the LIFE programme, the Common Agricultural Policy, and several legislative proposals and omnibus packages that could significantly alter the EU’s environmental standards, including health, biodiversity and water protections.
Commenting, Karen Ciesielski, CEO of the Irish Environmental Network, said
“In a recent Ireland Thinks poll [3], 39% of people said the Government should use Ireland’s EU Presidency to strengthen EU environmental protections, with another 40% saying the Irish Presidency should work to uphold existing environmental protections. Only 12% of people say EU environmental protections should be weakened.
“We urge the Government to use Ireland’s EU Presidency to reflect what the public actually want and value: clean water, clean air and making big oil companies pay their fair share to help us end our dependence on dirty, expensive fossil fuels.”
The EEB warns that Europe’s long-term security and prosperity depend not on deregulation, but on addressing the structural risks posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Persistent failures to implement existing environmental legislation already cost the EU an estimated €180 billion every year while exposing citizens to preventable health risks and environmental damage.
The EEB is calling on the Irish Presidency to have political courage and leadership to:
- ensure that “simplification” leads to better implementation, not deregulation;
- secure an ambitious long-term EU budget that invests in climate resilience, nature restoration and pollution prevention, including continued dedicated funding for the LIFE programme;
- safeguard science-based policymaking, democratic accountability and meaningful civil society participation;
- resist attempts to weaken cornerstone environmental legislation, including on biodiversity and water;
- strengthen implementation and enforcement of existing environmental law across the European Union.
“This is a defining moment for Europe’s future,” Bas-Defossez concluded. “Citizens are asking for protection – for their health, their environment and their future. The Irish Presidency has an opportunity to help restore confidence by putting science, prevention and long-term public interest back at the heart of European decision-making. The solutions exist. The challenge now is to deliver them.”
The EEB’s Memorandum for the Irish Presidency was developed in consultation with more than 190 environmental organisations across Europe and sets out ten priority areas to guide the Presidency towards a greener, fairer and more resilient Europe.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange interviews contact:
- Chris Skrivervik, Head of Communications, EEB, on +32-49 654 2098
- Oisín Coghlan, Policy Advisor, IEN, on 086-852 9528
Notes
- The EEB is the largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations in Europe. It currently consists of over 190 member organisations in 42 countries, including a growing number of networks, and representing some 30 million individual members and supporters.
- You can download the EEB’s 10 Tests and Memorandum to the Irish Presidency here: https://eeb.org/en/library/memorandum-to-the-irish-presidency-of-the-council-of-the-eu/
The EEB sends a memo to each new Presidency every six months (available here), and an assessment of each Presidency when it ends (available here). - Ireland Thinks polling, 1-3 June 2026, Sample size 1,002, Margin of error +/1 3.1%.