Minister Byrne welcomes publication of Rule of Law report

Minister Byrne welcomes publication of Rule of Law report

• From: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• Published on: 17 July 2026
• Last updated on: 17 July 2026

The Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, has today (17 July) welcomed the publication of the European Commission's 2026 Rule of Law Report. Since 2020, the Commission's annual report has provided an objective overview of the state of the rule of law across the EU as well as an assessment of the situation in each Member State.

The 2026 Rule of Law report will serve as the basis for discussions at meetings of the General Affairs Council later this year, chaired by Minister Byrne, under the Irish Presidency of the EU Council.

The Minister said: "The annual Rule of Law Report has become an invaluable part of the EU's rule of law cycle. I was pleased to participate in the Commission's preparatory visit to Ireland earlier this year, and I want to thank Commissioner Michael McGrath and his team, for their constructive dialogue with Irish officials in several Government Departments."

"I look forward to studying the country chapter on Ireland. I encourage all EU Member States to embrace the report, seeing it as an opportunity to address structural and systemic issues where we could do better. As fellow EU Member States, we can all learn from each other, in adopting best practice, and lessons learned.

"Upholding and promoting the rule of law is a major priority of the Irish EU Presidency. I look forward to chairing discussions on the 2026 report, at the General Affairs Council, based on open and constructive dialogue among our EU partners."

ENDS

Press Release

17 July 2026