181. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the key issues discussed and the main themes arising from Ireland's participation in the recent D9+ ministerial meeting; the way in which these discussions will inform Ireland's priorities in advance of its forthcoming EU Presidency [45507/26]

Minister of State Niamh Smyth represented Ireland at the Digital 9+ (D9+) Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg on 8 June. The meeting, chaired by Luxembourg, centred on the European competitiveness agenda, with Ministers engaging in strategic discussions on how to accelerate Europe’s digital transition.

The key issues discussed fell under three broad themes.

First, Ministers considered digital sovereignty in an open manner, focusing on how Europe can reduce critical technological dependencies while strengthening its own digital capabilities. This included discussion on boosting public-private partnerships, supporting competitive EU-based suppliers, and scaling up investment in strategically important technologies, while maintaining an open and globally engaged approach.

Second, there was a strong emphasis on regulatory simplification. Ministers examined ways to advance an ambitious, evidence-based simplification agenda, including short-term measures and longer-term reforms. The objective is to embed a “simplification-by-design” approach in EU legislation, while maintaining appropriate safeguards and ensuring coherence across the digital regulatory framework.

Third, Ministers discussed online safety, with a particular focus on ensuring a safer and age-appropriate digital environment for minors. This included consideration of a more unified EU approach combining regulation, technological solutions such as age verification, effective enforcement, and digital literacy measures.

These discussions were reflected in the agreed “Luxembourg Declaration”, which captures the shared priorities of the D9+ group across digital sovereignty, simplification, and online safety, all framed within the wider goal of enhancing European competitiveness.

Ireland’s participation in the meeting, and its endorsement of the Luxembourg Declaration alongside the other D9+ Member States, will directly inform its approach as it prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In particular, the discussions provide a clear and aligned policy framework that Ireland can leverage to advance forward-looking digital priorities at EU level. This includes driving progress on competitiveness, supporting innovation and investment in key technologies, promoting a more streamlined regulatory environment, and strengthening protections for users online.

More broadly, the D9+ format, as an informal grouping, enables open and constructive engagement among like-minded Member States. This helps build consensus and shared ambition, which will support Ireland in progressing these priorities effectively during its forthcoming Presidency.