The waiting is over. From today, Ireland holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
For the next six months, Ireland will chair dozens of ministerial meetings and steer new EU legislation through the Council of the European Union, the EU body made up of ministers from all 27 member states.
Civil servants have spent months preparing for Ireland taking the chair from 1st July until the end of December this year.
An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces have also been boosting security in preparation for Ireland taking the spotlight.
At its peak, around 40 heads of state and government from across the continent of Europe are expected to visit Ireland for a meeting of the European Political Community in the Autumn.
There will also be regular meetings of ministers of all 27 member states working on specific areas from agriculture to finance and from health to justice and home affairs.
As part of its commitment to the presidency, the government has promised that those meetings will take place, not just in Dublin, but right across the country.
Last month, Taoiseach Micheál Martin revealed that hosting the presidency would cost Irish taxpayers up to €185 million excluding security costs.
But the government believes that putting the spotlight on Ireland makes it worth the hefty price tag.
During its presidency, Ireland will be responsible for steering important decisions including a potential agreement on the EU’s next €2 trillion budget, taking a leading role in an UK-EU summit and working on new laws on cyber, AI and climate amongst many others.
Many interest groups are already lobbying the Irish government for piority time on issues ranging from farm subsidies to migration.
The government says in total it will host 22 ministerial meetings, two meetings involving heads of government and more than 250 other events.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, will be in Dublin later today to kick off Ireland’s presidency.
Tomorrow at least a dozen European Commissioners, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with the Taoiseach and other ministers in Cork.
The first ministerial meeting has been scheduled for this weekend.
The government has promised that “Ireland will help set the agenda, drive consensus and deliver results for citizens across Europe” during its six months in the chair.