At midnight on 1 January, Ireland took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). Its presidency will focus on stability, jobs and growth. The year 2013 will usher in "a new phase in the European Union’s drive for recovery. The Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU is about securing stability and ensuring that it leads to jobs and growth," the Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister), Eamon Gilmore T.D. and the Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton T.D. told media representatives at a presentation on the presidency's priorities.

Priorities were chosen on the basis of the current agenda of EU legislation and initiatives. They include, among other things: lasting stability, beginning with the renewal of economic governance in Europe; putting a spotlight on youth unemployment; legislation to promote the digital economy and measures aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises; a focus on the potential of natural resources, on land as well as at sea; and the promotion of trade agreements and the pursuit of the enlargement agenda.