Ireland Targets AI Omnibus, Child Safety in EU Presidency Agenda

Liz Carolan is a fellow at Tech Policy Press.

This week, Helen McEntee, Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs, published the government’s policy program for the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (the EU body where national governments coordinate legislation). The 68-page document outlines what officials hope to advance during the six months the country will hold the rotating presidency, and signals what to expect from European tech policy in the months ahead.

The program expands on three high-level themes McEntee outlined earlier this year: competitiveness, values and security. It includes an intention to aggressively pursue efforts to roll back parts of the EU’s digital regulatory framework during the six-month term, which begins July 1, while also trying to progress EU-wide tech policy measures on child online safety, and in the areas of justice and migration.

The Digital Omnibus on AI

The policy program commits to “intensively” pursuing the EU’s focus on improving economic competitiveness through a “simplification agenda.” That agenda has led officials to review major areas of EU regulation, and introduce cross-cutting “omnibus” legislative proposals that aim to eliminate, delay or simplify requirements across policy areas, including digital regulation. The Irish program adopts the EU’s framing of this, stating that "simplification is about better regulation, not deregulation,” acknowledging concerns raised by civil society groups and some member states.

For Ireland, the most immediate item is the Digital Omnibus on AI, a package of amendments to the EU AI Act. A provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on the AI package was reached in May, but it has not yet been formally adopted. That makes finalization one of the most time-sensitive tasks the Irish Presidency will inherit on July 1.

Without formal approval of the Omnibus, the AI Act's original high-risk compliance deadline of Aug. 2, 2026 remains in place, meaning organizations deploying high-risk AI systems could face obligations for which, in many cases, the supporting standards and guidance are not yet in place. The Omnibus would push that deadline back to December 2027 at the earliest, conditional on the availability of harmonized standards. It also loosens protections around personal data use in AI development and deployment.

Tech policy simplification

While looming deadlines mean the AI Omnibus is being prioritized, it is part of a broader Digital Omnibus package that seeks to roll back provisions across the broader scope of European digital regulation. Progress is expected during the presidency, though a final conclusion is unlikely by the end of the year. The program signals that the Irish Presidency will be ready to begin negotiations on at least three further parts of that proposal.

The first is a revision of the Audiovisual and Media Services Directive (AVMSD), should the European Commission publish a proposal during the term. The second is on data protection; the presidency will seek to reach agreement at Council level on forthcoming amendments to the EU Data Protection Regulation for EU institutions and bodies.

The policy program also briefly references work on the EU's intellectual property framework, which is to include “reviewing the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market.”

Child online safety

Alongside simplification, child online safety is flagged as a defining priority. The program outlines that ensuring the online world is "safe and healthy for children" is "one of the key challenges of our time," and commits to making it a central focus of the presidency's work.

Concretely, this means pushing for a decision at EU level on a digital age of majority and advancing work on age-verification mechanisms across the bloc. The presidency also plans to progress legislative measures to combat child sexual abuse material online. Ireland will convene a youth forum to hear from children and young people about their experiences online, as well as a high-level conference on online safety.

Digital aspects of other policy priorities

Digital policy also runs through other parts of the program, including in justice and migration.

On justice, the presidency will advance implementation of the Digital Justice Package, including the “DigitalJustice@2030” strategy and the European Judicial Training Strategy, which aims to ”accelerate the use of digital technologies, including of artificial intelligence, to make justice systems more efficient and resilient.”

On migration, the presidency will focus on the full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, with a specific emphasis on the digitalization of returns. The program commits to prioritizing "early discussion on the proposal to digitalize returns expected from the Commission," and supporting related legislative work as it moves toward implementation.

Broader priorities

Most of the Irish government’s time and energy is likely to be taken up in negotiating the EU’s new long-term budget, or Multiannual Financial Framework, which includes both controversial changes to how farm subsidies will work, and attempts to beef up Europe’s defense spending.

Geopolitical crises will also likely intervene in even the best-laid plans, from continued conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, to trade and security challenges across the Atlantic. Digital policy is a consistent thread running through the Irish presidency program, but it may ultimately be overshadowed by these broader pressures.