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In 2024, 38% of people aged 15–29 in formal education in Ireland were also employed, according to Eurostat data. 4% were unemployed, while 58% were outside the labour force. The EU average shows 25% of students in employment, 3% unemployed and 72% outside the labour force. Across the EU, participation in student employment varies widely, with higher employment shares observed mainly in northern and western Member States.

New Eurostat data show that the share of employment in agriculture, hunting and related services in Ireland stood at around 4.3% of total employment in 2023, down slightly from about 5.5% in 2013. Ireland’s share remains above the EU average of around 3.8% in 2023. Across the EU, the share of agricultural employment declined in most Member States over the past decade, with the highest shares observed in Romania and Bulgaria.

In a joint statement, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa underlined that territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law and essential for Europe and the wider international community. The EU reaffirmed its full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland, stressing the importance of dialogue and transatlantic cooperation.

The European Commission is improving marine knowledge access through the Ocean Observation Initiative. A call for evidence has been launched, inviting stakeholders, experts, and citizens to contribute to the formation of this pivotal initiative. It is open until 27 February 2026.

On 17 January, the European Union and Mercosur signed a Partnership Agreement and an Interim Trade Agreement. The agreement will create one of the biggest trade zones in the world covering a market of around 700 million consumers, deliver substantial new commercial opportunities for companies across the EU, and support hundreds of thousands of EU jobs.

This landmark agreement, the result of over a decade of international collaboration, represents a transformative step toward safeguarding marine ecosystems and addressing the urgent threats posed by climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

The European Commission has launched two new calls under the ‘Digital, Industry and Space' cluster of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, allocating €307.3 million to bolster Europe's digital innovation and competitiveness.

The Commission has opened consultations to gather input for venture and growth capital funds reform. The input will support the Commission's policy work under the Savings and Investments Union and the Startup and Scaleup Strategy, in particular the efforts to improve access to finance for innovative companies in the EU.

On 15 January, the new automatic and dynamic mechanism for price adaptation of the Oil Price Cap for Russian crude will be applied for the first time. The new price cap for Russian crude oil is $44,10 per barrel, effective 1 February.

The European Commission has disbursed €1 billion in Macro-Financial Assistance to Egypt, an important commitment of the EU-Egypt Strategic Comprehensive Partnership signed in March 2024.

While overall spending dropped in 2024, Member States channeled 90% of their State aid towards supporting key EU priorities, such as environmental protection, energy, research, development and innovation and regional development, according to the European Commission's 2025 State aid Scoreboard.

The initiative invites the Commission to devise a model of ethical governance based on transparency, integrity and shared responsibility, amend the EU Regulation on European political parties political foundations, and introduce stricter requirements on conflicts of interest, transparency, decision-making, unethical conduct and funding.

EU agriculture ministers met on 7 January in an extraordinary meeting to address food security, rising costs and global market volatility, reaffirming that farming is central to Europe’s sovereignty and competitiveness. Discussions focused on securing future CAP funding, improving fertiliser affordability, strengthening global competitiveness and simplifying rules for farmers.

The Commission has unveiled a first set of actions to accelerate Europe's transition to a circular economy, with a focus on plastics. By optimising the recycling of plastics, these measures will the potential of the Single Market and enhance the EU's economic security, strategic autonomy, competitiveness and sustainability.

Welcome back and (a belated) Happy New Year to all our readers. This year promises to be a landmark year for Ireland and for Europe. As Ireland prepares to take on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of the year, major European debates and decisions are taking shape. We look forward to keeping you informed, engaged and connected with everything happening at EU level and here in Ireland.

The Commission has raised €11 billion of EU-Bonds in its 1st syndicated transaction for 2026. The transaction concerned a new €6 billion EU-Bond maturing on 12 July 2029 and a €5 billion tap of the EU-Bond maturing on 12 October 2055.

Global temperatures in 2025 ranked as the third-highest on record, according to data from EU's Copernicus Global Climate Highlights report published today. This year sat just 0.01°C below the levels seen in 2023, and while 2024 remains the warmest year ever documented, 2025 followed closely behind with temperatures significantly higher than historical averages.

The European Commission adopted a set of legislative proposals to secure continuous financial support to Ukraine in 2026 and 2027. The legislative package consists of a new proposal establishing a support loan for Ukraine (€90 billion), a new proposal to amend the Ukraine Facility, and a new proposal to amend the Multiannual Financial Framework Regulation to allow the coverage of the loan to Ukraine.

In 2024, just over 79% of adults in Ireland aged 15 and over took part in tourism, according to new Eurostat figures. This places Ireland well above the EU average of around 65%, and marks a further increase compared with 2023, continuing the post-pandemic recovery in travel across Europe. Across the EU as a whole, 5.7 million more Europeans made tourism trips in 2024 compared with 2023.

New Eurostat data show that renewable energy sources accounted for 47.5 % of gross electricity consumption in the EU in 2024. In Ireland, the figure was around 42%, slightly lower than the EU average. Austria (90.1 %) and Sweden (88.1 %) recorded the highest shares of renewable electricity consumption, while others such as Malta (10.7 %) and Czechia (17.9 %) were at the lower end of the spectrum.