Ireland Takes the EU Chair
Grammar: Advanced passives and hedged reporting language
A Level 5 English lesson exploring society.
What's in this lesson
A Level 5 (advanced) ESL lesson on society, practising advanced passives and hedged reporting language. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary and discussion questions.
From the reading: Ireland Takes the EU Chair
Every six months, a different member state takes the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union — not to run Europe, but to chair its meetings, set its legislative agenda, and, crucially, negotiate between governments that rarely agree. In January 2026, that role passes to Ireland, a country of just five million people that has held the presidency only four times before in its fifty-year membership. What is perhaps most striking is the timing: Ireland is expected to chair the Council at a moment when the EU is being tested by economic divergence, the green transition, and a fundamental rethink of its own enlargement policy.
Vocabulary
- carry weight
- hinge on
- in broad terms
- steer through
Discussion questions
- Should small countries have the same political influence as large ones?
- What do you know about how the European Union actually makes decisions?
- Has your country ever held a major international presidency or leadership role?
Ireland Takes the EU Chair
Grammar: Advanced passives and hedged reporting language
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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