18th March 2026
Tripartite Delegation from Ireland participates in EU Summit
L-R: Owen Reidy - Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail - Alan Dillon, Esther Lynch -European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Colin Hunt - Ibec, Danny McCoy - Ibec.
EU leaders and social partners met in Brussels on Wednesday for the Tripartite Social Summit, with the main theme for the exchange focussed on ‘Investment for a vibrant European Economy and Quality Jobs’.
The Summit, co-chaired by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, is a key forum for dialogue between the EU institutions and leading business and union representatives.
EU leaders and social partners explored ways to boost the EU’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges and also discussed key issues impacting EU competitiveness such as closing investment gaps and reducing strategic dependencies.
Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail, Alan Dillon TD acknowledged the key role of social dialogue in supporting the development of EU employment policy and the broader competitiveness agenda –
"This is an important forum for social dialogue between the institutions and the Social Partners and affords us a valuable opportunity to discuss how we promote sustainable economic growth and employment across the Single Market.”
Other topics covered during the summit included the importance of investing in key infrastructure, the need to boost skills and foster quality jobs to increase the EU’s competitiveness and productivity, and the key role played by social dialogue and collective bargaining in ensuring that the EU delivers for its citizens.
Minister Dillon added –
“I am pleased to be joined today by our domestic Social Partners, ICTU and Ibec. Our tripartite delegation at the Summit reaffirms Ireland’s commitment to constructive social dialogue and ensures Ireland remains a leader in social cohesion and competitiveness.”
Speaking on the issue of closing investment gaps, Dr. Colin Hunt, President of Ibec noted –
“As social partners and governments, our collective focus must be on bolstering competitiveness and resilience to ensure we are well placed to address present and future challenges and deliver for citizens and businesses. As acknowledged in the EU’s Competitiveness Compass, skills development, openness to innovation, and enhancing productivity are all central to this mission.
"The availability of a highly skilled workforce is fundamental to Ireland and Europe’s shared competitiveness and the achievement of the green and digital transitions. At EU level, we should place a greater emphasis on supporting development through upskilling and retraining rather than introducing new legislation. We must also embrace innovation, ensuring that competitiveness remains a core priority as digital and AI technologies reshape the workplace.”
Owen Reidy, General Secretary of ICTU, addressed the role of Quality Jobs in reducing strategic dependencies –
“Quality jobs are essential and necessary for a strong and cohesive social Europe now and into the future. At a time of global uncertainty, we must double down and deepen social Europe and focus on the issues that make Europe more competitive. They are high skills, lifelong learning, decent wages, innovation and stronger collective bargaining. The relentless focus on greater quality jobs is at the cornerstone of this and must be an objective of all governments and social partners.
"One way that we can successfully meet the challenges and opportunities of increased productivity, innovation, and new technologies that benefits all in society, is through proper collective bargaining at enterprise, sector and national level, and stronger social dialogue across the EU.”
Minister Dillon added –
“The start of Ireland’s EU Presidency is now just over three months away, and across Government we’re focused on finalising our policy priorities. We’re engaging closely with our domestic and European Social Partners through our stakeholder consultations, and I want to thank everyone for their ongoing contributions.
"We will continue to work with the EU institutions and with our partners across the EU Member States to ensure that our Presidency delivers for our social market economy.”
Notes to the editor
The Tripartite Social Summit (TSS) is a biannual forum for dialogue between the EU institutions at president level and the European social partners at top management level.
The TSS usually meets twice a year, ahead of the Spring and Autumn European Councils.
The TSS aims to promote growth and employment while maintaining high levels of education and training, social protection and inclusion.
The TSS offers a platform to:
- shape EU employment, social, and economic policy with input from employers and unions
- discuss major economic, social, and geopolitical developments
- strengthen social dialogue
The participating European-level and Irish social partners included:
- BusinessEurope
- the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
- Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)
- Ibec
The TSS is co-chaired by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
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