Minister Byrne addresses All-Island Stakeholder Forum

Minister Byrne addresses All-Island Stakeholder Forum

• From: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• Published on: 10 June 2026
• Last updated on: 10 June 2026

Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, today (10 June) delivered a keynote address at the European Economic and Social Committee's second annual All-Island Stakeholder Forum at Europe House.

The event, entitled Reset and Recharge: All-island contributions to a resilient EU-UK relationship, drew upon insights and expertise of key stakeholders across the island in developing a resilient EU-UK relationship. In his address, Minister Byrne highlighted the importance of a strong EU-UK relationship and the crucial role of business, civil society and trade union stakeholders in fostering cross-border cooperation.

Minister Byrne said: "Cooperation and collaboration, particularly when it comes to groups and individuals engaging with one another on issues that matter to people's daily life, is vitally important. Advancing and supporting positive EU-UK relations, will be a key focus during the Irish EU Presidency, reflected across our three core EU Presidency pillars - Competitiveness, Values and Security."

Minister Byrne continued: "I look forward to engaging with stakeholders at all levels, both during the Irish EU Presidency and beyond, to advance and support the EU-UK relationship in a way that makes a positive tangible difference to citizens across the EU, and across the island, of Ireland over the time to come."

Notes

The All-Island Stakeholder Forum, hosted by the European Economic Social Committee (EESC), gathers key stakeholders across the island from the business sector, civil society and trade unions to centralise expertise and discuss common challenges in a post-Brexit environment.

The objective of the Forum is to translate insights from discussions into policy recommendations that the EESC EU-UK Follow-Up committee can share with the EU and UK institutions.