For six months, Ireland will sit at the centre of EU decision-making, helping to broker agreement, steer legislation and influence the policy direction of a Union of more than 450 million people. That matters in any context, but it is especially significant now. Europe is under pressure to improve competitiveness, accelerate innovation and modernise health systems.
Ireland’s Presidency therefore arrives at exactly the right moment to demonstrate that health policy and economic policy are not competing agendas, but mutually reinforcing ones. If approached with ambition, the Presidency can be a platform for Ireland to help shape a more innovative, resilient and patient-focused European health landscape.
Ireland is well placed to do so because it already has one of Europe’s most significant life sciences footprints. Ireland hosts operations from most of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, the sector employs more than 100,000 people directly and indirectly in the country1 and pharmaceutical exports reached €139 billion in 2025, accounting for 53% of Ireland’s goods exports2.
The Irish Presidency should place life sciences firmly within Europe’s wider competitiveness agenda
This is not simply an industrial success story; it is a strategic national asset that gives Ireland both credibility and practical insight as Europe seeks to remain globally competitive in life sciences. Against this backdrop, the Irish Presidency should place life sciences firmly within Europe’s wider competitiveness agenda and use its six-month term to advance a number of clear policy priorities.
The legislative programme inherited in 2026 is likely to include important files across biotechnology, medical innovation, preparedness, data and competitiveness. Within that landscape, the European Biotech Act should be a flagship priority: an opportunity to strengthen Europe’s clinical research environment, reduce approval times, improve regulatory predictability and make the region more attractive for biopharmaceutical investment and innovation.
The Biotech Act should function as a genuine simplification measure - streamlining clinical trials, improving regulatory coherence and enabling the effective use of digital and AI technologies. Crucially, its intellectual property provisions must be strengthened and workable if Europe is to support long-term R&D investment and remain globally competitive.
The next six months can help create a European life sciences ecosystem that is more innovative, resilient and globally attractive
Prioritising digital health and data frameworks that support interoperability, trusted AI and secure data use can accelerate innovation and improve care across Europe. Europe’s life sciences competitiveness also depends on fairly rewarding innovation and creating faster, more predictable routes from discovery to patient access. Ireland’s recently agreed Framework Agreement on the Pricing and Supply of Medicines shows how shared ambition and close collaboration between Government and industry can support both innovation and public benefit.
Ireland’s Presidency should not simply manage the EU agenda but shape it with strategic intent. By advancing a more competitive environment for life sciences, faster and more predictable access for patients, and stronger digital health and data frameworks, the next six months can help create a European life sciences ecosystem that is more innovative, resilient and globally attractive. That would be a Presidency legacy felt not only in Europe’s future prosperity, but in better health outcomes across Europe.
Scan to find out more about Takeda
List of references
- IDA Ireland acknowledges economic and social impact of multinational companies with special focus on life sciences industry, IDA, 2023
- The Pharmaceutical Sector in Ireland: A Report by Goodbody for IPHA, Goodbody, 2026
In partnership with
Sign up to The Parliament's weekly newsletter
Every Friday our editorial team goes behind the headlines to offer insight and analysis on the key stories driving the EU agenda. Subscribe for free here.