Representing Irish interests in the EU 24/7 - The Irish Permanent Representation
In fact, the Irish Government has 90 people working full time in Brussels to represent Ireland’s interests in the EU.
They work at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU, or Perm Rep as it is often known. The Perm Rep brings together under one roof civil servants from nearly every Government Department, making it Ireland’s biggest diplomatic mission abroad.
Their job is to negotiate and lobby on behalf of Ireland. Working with Government Ministers and the Irish administration as a whole, they make sure that Ireland has its say on all EU laws and decisions.
They do this by working closely with the 26 other countries in the Council of Ministers.
Ireland is represented at every meeting, at every level in the Council. At the highest level, the Taoiseach attends European Council meetings of Heads of State or Government. Irish Ministers from the various departments regularly travel to Brussels to attend meetings at the Council on specific areas of policy.
Council meetings change composition depending on which policy area is being discussed. For example, if the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is up for discussion, Ireland's minister for Agriculture will attend the meeting.
In the same way if the topic is financial in nature the ECOFIN Council will meet which is made of the Ministers for Finance from all of the Member States. On a day to day basis, the Government is represented in Brussels by officials from the Perm Rep.
The Council is at the core of EU decision-making. All EU issues, from fisheries to foreign policy, are discussed and agreed in the Council.
Whether it is to negotiate the details of a new system of sheep tagging or to discuss the position the EU should take on Gaza, an Irish representative is there to put forward Ireland’s views.
By making Ireland’s case and building alliances with other countries, Irish officials significantly influence the shape of EU policy.
The EU works in a spirit of accommodation and compromise. The chair of the Council meetings will always aim for everyone’s agreement, rarely taking a vote. This is the case whether operating on the basis of unanimity (as for particularly sensitive areas like tax and foreign policy) or majority voting (for an increasing number of the areas where the Member States have given the EU responsibility for making decisions). Everyone works together to try to take on board the concerns of others.
The Perm Rep team also works very closely with the European Parliament, especially the Irish MEPs. Officials stay in close contact with the European Commission too, and particularly with the many Irish people there in senior positions. Commissioner McCreevy and his team are important contacts.
Perm Rep officials are also constantly in touch with many other people in Brussels involved in EU affairs – NGOs, business and trade union groups, the media, lobbyists, academics, representatives from countries outside Europe and many more.
By acting as the link to this wide range of people working in Brussels, the Perm Rep is at the heart of Ireland’s interaction with the European Union.
You can contact the Perm Rep in Brussels by telephone on or by
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