MADRID –
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland must maintain its focus on renewable energy to secure supply and bring down costs, using a visit to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at La Moncloa to link energy strategy with a wider agenda spanning the Middle East, Ukraine, EU-US trade, and preparations for Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The two leaders met for an hour in Madrid as power prices remain volatile across Europe and governments weigh measures to shield households and industry. They also discussed deepening Israeli involvement in Lebanon, the war in Ukraine, and transatlantic tensions over strikes on Iran, ahead of Mr Martin’s planned White House meeting next week.
Energy, prices and a push for renewables
Speaking after talks, Mr Martin underscored price pressures facing households and motorists. “We acknowledge people are under a lot of pressure with petrol pumps and so forth, and the cost of energy is the big issue in Ireland and across Europe.”
He cautioned against reactive policymaking. “It’s a very fluid situation. We’ve seen the price go up and go down very quickly. So we want to avoid a knee-jerk reaction. We want to review it in the context of whatever particular measures are sustainable.”
The Taoiseach said some 50,000 people would benefit from the Working Family Payment now being included in the Fuel Allowance, with the change backdated to January. He framed the move as part of a broader effort to protect vulnerable households while accelerating the shift to cleaner generation and reinforcing Ireland’s climate commitments under the EU’s 2030 framework.
Beyond short-term relief, Mr Martin presented Ireland’s energy strategy as a test of how smaller member states can manage the transition away from imported fossil fuels while keeping tariffs politically sustainable.
A potential Spain-Ireland power link
Both governments are due to sign a memorandum of understanding on a potential electricity interconnector between Spain and Ireland-an early-stage step toward exploring a subsea high-voltage link between two Atlantic-facing grids.
Such a connection, if pursued, would complement the EU’s longstanding aim to improve cross‑border electricity flows and integrate renewables at scale under the rules of the EU internal electricity market. Spain’s rapidly expanding solar and wind capacity and Ireland’s strong wind resources are often complementary, creating scope to share surpluses, enhance resilience during supply shocks, and reduce curtailment when domestic grids are saturated.
The project concept would sit alongside existing regional efforts to knit isolated markets more tightly into the EU internal energy system, from cross‑Channel and Celtic Sea cables to grid reinforcement on the Iberian Peninsula. Officials in Dublin and Madrid said technical and regulatory work-covering route options, financing, state‑aid clearance and compliance with EU “projects of common interest” criteria-would be needed before any investment decision.
During the meeting, Mr Sánchez recalled his teenage summer in Dublin learning English, noting long-standing cultural ties as the two governments deepen cooperation on energy, education, research and trade. Irish officials said the prospective cable would signal that Ireland’s energy security strategy is anchored in EU solidarity even as it develops its own offshore wind and hydrogen plans.
Middle East, Ukraine and transatlantic strains
The Madrid conversation ranged beyond energy. Mr Sánchez has emerged as one of the EU’s most vocal critics of the bombing campaign by the United States and Israel on Iran, calling it a “violation of international law.” He has faced pressure from US President Donald Trump over that stance, including a threat to “cut off all trade with Spain.”
Ireland has taken a more circumspect legal line. The Government said the US-Israeli military offensive on Iran took place without a UN mandate, while stopping short of declaring it contrary to international law, and has stressed the need to preserve space for EU mediation efforts.
Mr Martin said he and Mr Sánchez also discussed what he called the “behaviour” of the Iranian regime in recent decades, including its sponsorship of groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. He reiterated that Dublin would use its relationships to urge restraint amid escalating regional risks, positioning Ireland as a consistent advocate of de‑escalation within EU foreign policy debates.
“We will have an exchange of views on current issues, and our desire that we would have a de-escalation and that we would have a cessation of hostilities, and that we can get a resolution to the outstanding issues.
“And it is very, very challenging, and has been very, very challenging if you look at the region in the last number of decades, endeavouring to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian question, to try and get a two-state solution.”
On Ukraine, the leaders discussed sanctions enforcement, military and financial support to Kyiv, and the war’s continuing impact on European security and energy markets. Both governments, Mr Martin said, see energy diversification and stronger interconnection as part of the EU’s long‑term response to Russian aggression.
Shaping Ireland’s turn at the EU helm
Mr Martin’s trip to Madrid forms part of a tour of EU capitals ahead of Ireland taking up the EU presidency for six months from July. He said sustaining partner goodwill would be essential as Dublin chairs negotiations across a crowded legislative docket and steers inter‑institutional files between the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission.
“The success of our presidency will rely on the goodwill of our EU partners, and therefore it is important that I hear from my fellow EU leaders on what their priorities and concerns are on the range of issues that Ireland will be seeking to progress during the six months of our presidency,” he said.
He set out headline priorities for the term. “Improving Europe’s competitiveness, enhancing our security, and promoting and protecting our shared values will be the priority issues for our presidency.
“Across these areas, there are many detailed and complex files which we will be tasked with advancing, not least the EU’s next multiannual budget.
“I will also discuss global issues with Prime Minister Sánchez, including the serious situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“Ireland and Spain share excellent bilateral relations, built on strong historical links and close cultural affinity, and I look forward to discussing how we can work together to further strengthen cooperation on trade, investment, energy, education, research and culture.”
Irish officials said Dublin wants to show that, even as a medium-sized member state, it can broker agreement on contentious energy, fiscal and migration packages while keeping unity on Ukraine and the Middle East.
Coordinating with Brussels on energy market design
After the bilateral, the Taoiseach joined a video conference with 21 EU leaders on the energy dossier ahead of next week’s summit. He said the European Commission would bring forward proposals on energy costs, changes to the European grid, renewables deployment and the Emissions Trading System (ETS) in time for leaders’ discussions.
Those strands are central to how the bloc intends to keep bills manageable while meeting climate targets, with grid build‑out and cross‑border interconnection regarded by EU institutions as critical to integrating ever‑higher shares of wind and solar and to buffering price spikes. The ETS, set out in EU climate legislation, is increasingly used by member states as a fiscal backbone for national transition plans.
- The ETS remains the EU’s flagship cap‑and‑trade mechanism for power and heavy industry, with revenues increasingly earmarked by member states for energy transition and consumer support.
- Upgrading transmission and interconnection is a core element of the internal energy market, intended to enhance security of supply and cut system costs.
- Rapid renewables expansion underpins both decarbonisation goals and efforts to reduce exposure to external energy shocks.
Diplomats said Mr Martin used the call to align with other leaders who want any market reform to protect vulnerable consumers while preserving investment signals for low‑carbon technologies. The Madrid visit, they added, was designed to ensure Ireland and Spain enter those talks with a shared view on how far and how fast to intervene in wholesale prices.
For readers, this means that the prospective Spain-Ireland interconnector, the ETS changes and Ireland’s presidency agenda are part of a single policy arc: how the EU structures its energy market to manage geopolitical shocks, meet climate law obligations and keep domestic politics stable.
Next stop: Washington
Mr Martin’s meeting with Mr Sánchez comes a week before he meets President Trump in the Oval Office on St Patrick’s Day, with energy security and de‑escalation in the Middle East expected to feature alongside EU-US trade issues.
Irish officials see the Washington stop as an opportunity to underline to the White House that, as Ireland prepares to chair the Council, it will be implementing EU decisions on energy and foreign policy that directly touch US interests-from sanctions and transatlantic trade tensions to how quickly Europe reduces its demand for imported fossil fuels.
Both governments are due to sign a memorandum of understanding on a potential Spain-Ireland interconnector, the European Commission is preparing energy proposals for leaders ahead of next week’s summit, and the Taoiseach is scheduled to visit the White House on March 17. Together, those steps will help define how Ireland positions itself between Brussels, Madrid and Washington as the next phase of Europe’s energy and security debate unfolds.
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