You can find additional information on European climate and energy events and developments in the European Parliament’s legislative train schedule, in the event calendar of the Irish Council presidency, and in the Council’s press site. For H2 2026, also consult this overview by think tank E3G.
2026
| Date | 1 July |
| Event | Ireland takes over 6-months EU Council presidency |
| Subject | Ireland assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU. Three pillars will be the central themes of the Irish Presidency: competitiveness, values and security. On the energy transition, the Irish government said:
It also said that it is "committed to delivering on the EU’s ambitious agenda to fight climate change and shift to a climate-neutral economy by 2050." The Council represents the executive governments of member states, and the presidency rotates among EU member states every six months. It is not only responsible for setting policy priorities and planning and chairing meetings among ministers and heads of government, but must also try and reach agreement on laws with the EU’s other legislative bodies – the Commission and the Parliament. Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called 'trios'. The following presidencies Lithuania and Greece cooperate with Ireland. [More on the presidency] |
| Press contact | Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs: email Press.office@dfa.ie, phone: +353 (0) 1 408 2268 |
| Date | 20 - 21 September |
| Event | Informal meeting of EU transport ministers |
| Subject | The Irish EU Council presidency invites transport ministers to Dublin. Ireland: "The meeting will facilitate discussion on how the EU transport network provides the backbone of the single market, and how transport policy at EU level should evolve to support a safe, secure, resilient and competitive Union into the future. The informal nature of the meeting will enable constructive dialogue and exchange of perspectives in preparation for the formal meeting of the TTE Council (Transport) in November." |
| Press contact | Irish EU Council presidency |
| Date | 28 - 29 September |
| Event | Informal meeting of EU energy ministers |
| Subject | The Irish EU Council presidency invites energy ministers to Dublin. Ireland: "The meeting will provide an opportunity for ministers to exchange views on strategic priorities relating to the energy transition and broader cooperation on energy policy. The informal format of the meeting will facilitate strategic dialogue and policy reflection ahead of the formal meetings of the TTE Council (Energy) in October and December." |
| Press contact | Irish EU Council presidency |
| Date | Q3 |
| Event | European Commission presents Circular Economy Act |
| Subject | The Commission will present a Circular Economy Act to foster demand and supply of circular products and reduce dependencies on critical resources. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | Q3 |
| Event | European Commission presents legislative proposals for energy rules for the 2030s |
| Subject | The Commission said it aims to update Energy Union rules, including on CO2 transportation and markets; energy efficiency; and the renewable energy framework. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | 12 October |
| Event | Meeting of member state environment ministers (Environment Council) |
| Subject | Member state environment ministers get together for one of several official meetings per year. They are set to debate the Commission's proposal to reform the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), and the UN climate change conference COP31. |
| Press contact | Peristera Dimopoulou (EU Council) |
| Date | 15 October |
| Event | European Council |
| Subject | Member state heads of state and government get together for one of several official meetings per year. |
| Press contact | Maria Tomasik (European Council) |
| Date | 20 October |
| Event | European Commission presents 2027 work programme |
| Subject | Every year, the Commission adopts its annual work programme setting out the list of the most important new policy and legislative initiatives it will take in the year ahead. The work programme is a key vehicle to deliver on commitments outlined in the Political Guidelines and the mission letters set by president von der Leyen to each commissioner. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | 28 October |
| Event | European Commission presents proposals on climate resilience |
| Subject | As part of climate change adaptation efforts, the European Commission will present a European integrated framework for climate resilience. In her State of the Union address on 16 September, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said: "We will present a new framework for climate resilience next month. We will identify 100 of the most vulnerable territories in Europe. And we will assess the risks – and at which level they should be managed. This will give us a whole of society approach – all the way through to the local level where adaptation matters most. And it will aim to make Europe the champion in adaptation technologies – a huge emerging market. Whether drought-resistant crops, flood prevention or energy-efficient cooling, Europe is already a leader. And we must capture this market. Today, only around 25 % of catastrophe losses in Europe are covered by private insurance. This means that, far too often, national budgets become the insurer of last resort. We need to take action to close this gap. This is why the Commission will set up a Climate Insurance Alliance." She also said the Commission would soon present a European Heatwave Plan. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | 29-30 October |
| Event | EU-Canada summit (in Canada) |
| Subject | EU leaders meet Canadian government leaders in Canada. |
| Press contact | Maria Tomasik (European Council) |
| Date | 29 October |
| Event | Meeting of member state energy ministers (Energy Council) |
| Subject | Member state energy ministers get together for one of several official meetings per year. |
| Press contact | Niels Timmermans (EU Council) |
| Date | 13 November |
| Event | Informal meeting of EU heads of state and government |
| Subject | The Irish EU Council presidency invites member state heads of state or government to Dublin. |
| Press contact | Irish EU Council presidency |
| Date | 26 - 27 November |
| Event | Special European Council (tbc) |
| Subject | Member state heads of state and government might get together to discuss the EU's next long-term budget, the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2028 - 2034. |
| Press contact | Maria Tomasik (European Council) |
| Date | 30 November |
| Event | Meeting of member state transport ministers (Transport Council) |
| Subject | Member state transport ministers get together for one of several official meetings per year. |
| Press contact | Niels Timmermans (EU Council) |
| Date | 10 December |
| Event | Meeting of member state energy ministers (Energy Council) |
| Subject | Member state energy ministers get together for one of several official meetings per year. |
| Press contact | Peristera Dimopoulou (EU Council) |
| Date | 11 December |
| Event | Meeting of member state environment ministers (Environment Council) |
| Subject | Member state environment ministers get together for one of several official meetings per year. They could decide a joint position on the reform of the emissions trading system on this date. |
| Press contact | Peristera Dimopoulou (EU Council) |
| Date | 17 December |
| Event | European Council |
| Subject | Member state heads of state and government get together for one of several official meetings per year. |
| Press contact | Maria Tomasik (European Council) |
| Date | Q4 |
| Event | European Commission presents update of Energy Union governance |
| Subject | The Commission will present legislative proposals to update the governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action including the phase-out of fossil fuels subsidies. It aims to "ensure a genuine Energy Union by improving its governance, upgrading grids, removing existing bottlenecks, cutting red tape for cross-border energy projects and boosting electrification and the resilience of the electricity system." |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | Q4 |
| Event | European Commission presents proposals for national climate targets for the 2030s |
| Subject | As part of efforts to legislate climate policy post-2030, the Commission will propose to revise national targets and flexibilities currently governed by the effort sharing and LULUCF regulations. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
Other outstanding or postponed European Commission initiatives
| Date | (postponed, currently no longer on Commission agenda) |
| Event | European Commission presents proposal to phase out remaining Russian oil imports |
| Subject | As part of its efforts to end Russian energy imports, the European Commission is set to present the RePowerEU proposal to phase out remaining Russian oil imports. A row over financial aid to Ukraine following an interruption of supplies through the Druzhba oil pipeline has shown how politically sensitive the topic is -- especially in Hungary, which still receives fossil fuels from Russia. The European Commission will no longer submit the proposal on April 15 as previously planned, an updated EU legislative agenda showed. An EU official, however, told Reuters the proposal had not been cancelled and would still be published though no longer by the mid-April date due to "current geopolitical developments" -- the Iran war and ensuing energy crisis. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | (no longer on Commission agenda) |
| Event | European Commission presents strategy on sustainable tourism |
| Subject | The European Commission is set to present a strategy on sustainable tourism. Member state governments in May 2026 adopted conclusions outlining a comprehensive overview to build a sustainable and competitive tourism sector for the 21st century, asking the Commission to take these into account when developing the strategy. |
| Press contact | European Commission |
| Date | Q2 (tbc; public consultation open until 29 July) |
| Event | European Commission presents proposal to set up Critical Raw Materials Centre |
| Subject | The Commission will propose setting up a Critical Raw Materials Centre to monitor, jointly purchase and stockpile these minerals, which are essential to EU industrial sovereignty. The Commission explains: "Critical raw materials are crucial for EU manufacturing, green, digital, aerospace and defence industries. The EU faces strong dependencies in its access to materials such as rare earth elements, which are being exploited by other geopolitical players. To address them, as called for in the Draghi report, the Commission is planning to set up an EU Critical Raw Materials Centre consisting of 4 strands: joint purchasing, stockpiling, investments, and raw materials intelligence." In her State of the Union speech on 16 September, Ursula von der Leyen said: "We will establish a new European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials. It will help us obtain and stockpile what we need. For electric cars, chips and batteries, clean tech and defence. And so much more. Not only our industry depends on this, but also our independence and security." |
| Press contact | European Commission |
2027
| Date | 1 January |
| Event | Lithuania takes over EU Council presidency |
| Subject | Lithuania assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU. The Council represents the executive governments of member states, and the presidency rotates among EU member states every six months. It is not only responsible for setting policy priorities and planning and chairing meetings among ministers and heads of government, but must also try and reach agreement on laws with the EU’s other legislative bodies – the Commission and the Parliament. Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called 'trios'. The following presidencies Lithuania and Greece cooperate with Ireland. [More on the presidency] |
| Press contact | Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union, media contacts. |
| Date | 1 July |
| Event | Greece takes over EU Council presidency |
| Subject | Greece assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU. The Council represents the executive governments of member states, and the presidency rotates among EU member states every six months. It is not only responsible for setting policy priorities and planning and chairing meetings among ministers and heads of government, but must also try and reach agreement on laws with the EU’s other legislative bodies – the Commission and the Parliament. Member states holding the presidency work together closely in groups of three, called 'trios'. The preceding presidencies Ireland and Lithuania cooperate with Greece. [More on the presidency] |
| Press contact | Greek Public Diplomacy Office in Brussels, pdo.brussels@mfa.gr. |