Minister Charlie McConalogue Attends EU Ministerial Council Meeting
- Published on: 12 May 2026
- Last updated on: 12 May 2026
The Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy Charlie McConalogue will represent Ireland at the EU Sports Council meeting on 12 May in Brussels.
Ministers at the Council will seek to approve Council conclusions on the issue of sports tourism as a contributor to sustainable development. These will underline the role that the sustainable development of sports tourism can play in fostering sustainable growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
The Minister will participate in an informal policy debate on advancing active aging through sport: promoting health, well-being and participation as well as an exchange of views on mental health in sport: from individual resilience to system responsibility. This discussion will seek to address individual and structural dimensions of mental health supports in sport.
On the culture agenda, the meeting will include updates on the future EU culture, media and civil society funding proposal, AgoraEU, and an exchange of views on the EU Work Plan for Culture 2027-2030. Minister McConalogue will also present the work programme and priorities of the Irish Presidency of the European Council, which will begin on the 1 July 2026, for culture, media and sports.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Minister McConalogue, said:
The sports agenda of the Council addresses important and topical issues for Ireland. Our recently launched Major International Sports Event Strategy has the potential to play a great role in advancing the cause of sustainable sports tourism, centred as it is on a clear and transparent framework for the delivery of international sports events. Athlete mental health is also a priority area of work, with a number of initiatives being in place in Ireland that contribute to the protection and vindication of the rights of athletes to engage in sports safely.
I also welcome this opportunity to further engage with my fellow EU Ministers to discuss policy and also set out Ireland’s priorities for our Presidency under the areas of culture, audiovisual, media and sport.
ENDS