The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a list of US imports which could become subject to EU countermeasures, if ongoing EU-US negotiations do not result in a mutually beneficial outcome and the removal of the US tariffs. The list put to consultation concerns imports from the US worth €95 billion, covering a broad range of industrial and agricultural products. The Commission is also consulting on possible restrictions on certain EU exports of steel scrap and chemical products to the US worth €4.4 billion. This consultation is designed to address both the US universal tariffs and the tariffs on cars and car parts. In parallel, the EU will also launch a WTO dispute against the US on its universal so-called “reciprocal” tariffs and tariffs on cars and car parts, by formally lodging a request for consultations.

As part of its May infringements package, the European Commission decided on 7 May to open an infringement procedure against Ireland for failing to correctly transpose the Landfill Directive (Directive 1999/31/EC as amended by Directive 2011/97/EU and Directive (EU) 2018/850). The Commission also continued three existing infringement procedures at the second stage of the process with sending reasoned opinions to Ireland regarding compliance with the EU legislation on the European Arrest Warrant and the surrender procedures between Member States; on combating racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law; and on the transposition of the NIS2 Directive which aims to ensure a high level of cybersecurity across the EU.

Europe Direct Waterford, Waterford Council Climate Action Team and Waterford Libraries are coming together to organise a Clothes Swap on: Wednesday 28 May in Central Library, Lady Lane in Waterford City from 5pm – 6:30pm with Clothes Drop Off from 11am onwards. This is a FREE Event and all are welcome. Bring up to five pieces of clean adult clothing (in good repair) to the library, between 11am and 5pm and swap then for a voucher for the same number of pieces. The Swap opens from 5pm where you can browse the donated pieces and find out more about mending and bringing new life to your clothes. Also on the night there will be a Clothes Repair Demo. The EU has a Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles to create a greener textiles sector. The aim is a major shift inside the industry and among consumers, creating a whole new sustainable ecosystem for textiles by the end of this decade.

Provisional agenda is available at the link below.

Provisional agenda is available at the link below.

The European Commission invites organisations across the EU to host the next generation of Europe Direct centres. These centres are the EU's local voice. They organise local events, share facts and figures with local organisations, and gather feedback from the public to ensure EU policies address people's needs. They also answer citizens' questions on any EU-related matter, and explain what the EU does, and how it affects citizens' everyday lives. To make sure that everyone's voice can be heard, Europe Direct centres are active in each Member State. A new call for proposals for interested organisations is open on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for the period 2026–2030.

Culture gives citizens a sense of community and integration. According to a new Eurobarometer survey published by the European Commission, citizens strongly support cultural exchange, artistic freedom and fair working conditions for artists. They also call for a stronger EU role to protect heritage and respond to the impact of new technologies. 87% of respondents agree that culture and cultural exchange should have a very important place in the EU, so that citizens feel more European. 86% say cultural heritage is important for Europe, confirming that culture is valued not only in current life but also as part of the past. 73% of surveyed Europeans are concerned that the rise of generative AI may have an impact on employment or earnings for artists. Less than half of Europeans (48%) said they could tell the difference between an AI piece of art and one crafted by a human.

The EU will end its dependency on Russian energy by stopping the import of Russian gas and oil and phasing out Russian nuclear energy, while ensuring stable energy supplies and prices across the Union. The REPowerEU Roadmap paves the way to ensure the EU's full energy independence from Russia. Despite the significant progress achieved under the REPowerEU Plan and via sanctions since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in 2024 the EU saw a rebound in Russian gas imports. More coordinated actions are therefore needed, as the EU's overdependency on Russian energy imports is a security threat.

The European Union and Singapore have taken a significant step forward in their bilateral trade relations with the signing of a landmark Digital Trade Agreement (DTA). Signed by Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič and Singapore Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu Hai Yien, this Agreement marks a major milestone in deepening EU-Singapore cooperation in the digital domain. The DTA allows the EU and Singapore to keep pace with the fast-evolving nature of the digital economy. It sets a high standard for digital trade rules between the EU and Singapore and raises the ambition of digital trade rules globally. It builds on the EU's approach for digital and data rules that puts people and their rights at the centre.

The winners of the 'Aistritheoirí Óga 2025' (Young Translators) contest were announced at an award ceremony in Dublin yesterday evening. Five secondary school students made the list - one from each of the four provinces in Ireland and one overall winner. All five winners translated texts from English to Irish. This year's winners come from Monaghan, Dublin, Galway and Kerry. Mark Moran from St. Michael’s College, Dublin 4 was awarded the overall prize for the best translation in the country.

Since 2013, European Movement Ireland has conducted an opinion poll of people across Ireland on their attitudes towards the EU. The results over that time have presented key insights into Ireland’s relationship with the EU. The field work for 2025 was conducted in March, in collaboration with Amárach Research. The survey was built around equal and nationally representative sample sizes in Ireland and Northern Ireland, resulting in comparable findings across a range of issues, including views on EU membership, EU performance in a range of policy areas, enlargement, defence and security, and trust in institutions.

To mark Europe Day on May 9th, the EUNIC Ireland Network (European Union National Institutes for Culture) is delighted to present a free online screening of its 2024 Short Shorts from Europe programme showcasing the richness and diversity of contemporary European cinema. Action, comedy, animation, doc, fiction – expect this and more from Short Shorts from Europe Film Festival – a vibrant selection of short films from twelve EUNIC Ireland member countries. Showcasing a wide range of genres and perspectives from today’s European filmmakers, the programme features shorts from Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. The Cork International Film Festival and TUS Limerick School of Art and Design also present short films as part of the line-up. After the screening the audience will be invited to vote for their favourite film via their smartphone. All films in English or with English subtitles.

Since 2010, the Gender Equality Index has set a benchmark for equality between women and men to guide decision-makers on policies and goals for a more balanced and inclusive society across the EU by highlighting what is working and where, and what is not working. The Gender Equality Index score for the European Union is 71 out of 100 points. This marks an incremental 0.8-point improvement on the 2023 Index score and an increase of 7.9 points in total since 2010. With a score of 73.4 out of 100, Ireland ranks 9th in the EU on the Gender Equality Index 2024, 2.4 points higher than the EU score. Ireland score the highest in the domain of health (94.6 points) and ranks 1st among all Member States. Ireland ranks 23rd in the domain of time, losing 17 positions in the ranking compared to 2015.

EU exports of alcoholic beverages have reached 29.8 billion in 2024, up 10.9% from 2019, according to recently published Eurostat data. Wine accounted for over half of these exports, followed by spirits and liqueurs, and beer. France led the EU in alcohol exports to non-EU countries, with €12.1 billion (40.6%), followed by Italy (€6.0 billion, 20.2%), and Spain (€2.5 billion, 8.3%). The Netherlands (€2.3 billion, 7.6%), Germany (€1.6 billion, 5.3%), and Ireland (€1.5 billion, 5.0%) were also significant exporters. The remaining €3.9 billion (13%) came from other EU countries. France’s exports were largely wine and spirits, while Italy and Spain also focused on wine. The Netherlands mainly exported beer, and Ireland stood out for its premium spirits, such as whiskey and cream liqueurs. Ireland, though a smaller exporter by value, continues to strengthen its international profile through its globally recognised spirit brands, particularly in North America and Asia.

This event will explore the theme of Artificial Intelligence, covering topics such as Artificial Intelligence in Europe, the Future of AI and the Regulation of AI in practice. The event will open with a welcome address from Dr. Canan Atilgan, Director Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, UK & Ireland. This will be followed by an expert panel discussion and an audience Q&A moderated by Noelle O Connell, CEO, European Movement Ireland. Welcome Address: Dr. Canan Atilgan, Director Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, UK & Ireland Panel Speakers: Stephanie Anderson, Public Policy Manager, Meta Ireland Martin Bailey, Head of Unit, AI for Societal Good , EU AI Office, DG CONNECT European Commission Dr. Eamonn Cahill, Principal Officer, AI and Digital Regulation Unit, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Kai Zenner, Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss.

The meetings of EU foreign ministers in the Gymnich format take place once every six months and are informal in nature. This creates an opportunity for more open discussion and reflection on strategic issues. On 7-8 May 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, will organise an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Gymnich format in Warsaw. Meetings of this kind have been held regularly since 1974, and their purpose is an informal and open discussion among ministers on strategic issues.

In 2025, the Commission will present a proposal for a new European long-term budget starting in 2028, which will then be decided by the European Parliament and Member States. The European long-term budget requires the unanimous approval of all its Member States, and the majority of Members of the European Parliament. This is an opportunity to agree on a strong and modern European budget fit for our ambitions. Contribute your ideas, proposals, and recommendations for what the priorities of the EU long-term budget should be. Your insights from this discussion will feed into the work of the European Citizens’ Panel and be detailed in a comprehensive Final Report. They will also inspire the next Multiannual Financial Framework proposal, to be presented in July 2025. This is an opportunity EU citizens to directly contribute to decisions that impact millions of people across Europe.

The European Commission has launched a call for proposals to support independent reporting on EU affairs by pan-European outlets, with a budget of €13.5 million. In its second year running, the call aims to enhance the quantity, quality and impact of reporting on EU affairs in as many languages and Member States as possible. It is split into three topics: increasing the coverage and availability of audiovisual news on EU affairs from European perspectives; developing international, audiovisual news media offers in EU countries where media pluralism, market plurality and content diversity can improve and enhancing access to reliable online information. The deadline for applications is 13 June. Applicants, such as interested media organisations and developers, can apply to more than one topic. Grant agreements are expected to be signed in September, for projects to start running from October 2025.

The European Union is strengthening its preparedness for a potential flu pandemic. A new joint procurement contract, signed by the European Commission, through the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, offers 17 countries the possibility to purchase up to 27,403,200 pandemic influenza vaccine doses. The agreement, concluded with pharmaceutical company Seqirus UK Ltd., secures supplies of Foclivia, a vaccine to protect against flu when a pandemic has been officially declared by the World Health Organization or the European Union. A flu pandemic occurs when a new type (strain) of flu virus can spread easily from person to person because people have no immunity against it. While it is difficult to predict an influenza pandemic, today's joint procurement framework contract is part of the Commission's wider work on strengthening EU-level preparedness and response to protect the health of citizens.

Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation programme for 2021-2027, is proving to be a major driver of economic and societal benefits. For every euro of costs to EU society, the programme is expected to generate up to six euros in benefits for EU citizens by 2045. In terms of economic growth, every euro of EU contribution is estimated to generate up to €11 in GDP gains by 2045, according to an evaluation of the Commission released today. With a total budget of €93.5 billion, Horizon Europe stands at the heart of European competitiveness and innovation strength.