Pedro Sánchez and Micheál Martin discuss the priorities of the upcoming Irish Presidency of the EU

Eduardo González The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, received the Irish Prime Minister, Micheál Martin, on Tuesday, March 10, to discuss the priorities of the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which will begin on July 1 of this year. The meeting took place at the Moncloa Palace complex in Madrid, as part of the Prime Minister's European tour to present the priorities of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which will take place in the second half of this year. In addition to bilateral relations, Sánchez and Martin analyzed the international context, and the President of the Government conveyed to his Irish counterpart his commitment to strengthening cooperation between both countries on the energy transition, according to a press release from Moncloa Palace. Spain and Ireland also committed to promoting a bilateral Spanish-Irish strategy, and, with the Irish Presidency in mind, Sánchez defended the need to move towards an “ambitious and robust” Multiannual Financial Framework. In the international arena, Sánchez reaffirmed Spain's position in favor of de-escalating the conflict in the Middle East. “Almost two years ago, I traveled to Dublin to coordinate with Ireland the recognition of the State of Palestine,” Sánchez recalled in a message posted on social media. For his part, the Irish Prime Minister highlighted, via social media, the many issues that the two leaders addressed in the lead-up to the EU Presidency: “competitiveness, trade, energy, and the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East.” In April 2024, during a European tour, Pedro Sánchez secured the support of the then Irish Prime Minister, Simon Harris, for the recognition of the State of Palestine as a “full member of the United Nations,” following the same line as his immediate predecessor, Leo Varadkar. Micheál Martin assumed the post of Prime Minister in January 2025, after serving as Foreign Minister. In September 2024, Martin held a telephone conversation with his then Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and the Middle East.

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