Latest news with #EU-Canada
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Draft Irish legislation to ratify EU-Canada trade deal approved
Tánaiste Simon Harris has secured Cabinet approval for the drafting of legislation which will allow for the ratification of the controversial EU-Canada trade deal. The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement is a deal reached between the EU and Canada which requires the backing of parliaments across all the EU member states to be fully operational. The provisional application of CETA has already led to an increase in bilateral trade in goods and services with Canada, which went from €3.2 billion in 2016 to more than €10bn in 2023. It is understood Mr Harris argued that CETA is an important part of Ireland's economic diversification strategy, which has been brought into sharp focus by US President Donald Trump's threat to introduce 50% tariffs on EU goods. He believes that Canada shares similar concerns to Ireland and is a reliable and valued trading partner for the country. If the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill is enacted by the Oireachtas, it would enable the ratification of CETA and similar deals with third countries that include investment protection provisions. However, Opposition parties are concerned that CETA contains a system of investor state courts, which they argue will have serious negative ramifications on national regulation as it sets up a court outside our own domestic system. In particular, they contend that CETA would enable large corporations to sue countries if regulations hinder those companies' ability to trade. In November 2022, the Supreme Court ruled by a majority of four to three that the Constitution precludes the ratification of the deal. The court also ruled by a majority of six to one that if certain amendments were made to legislation then the deal could be ratified without breaching the constitution. However, the then coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party did not legislate to overcome those legal concerns amid internal divisions. The legal case against CETA had been brought by the then-Green Party TD Patrick Costello.
Irish Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cabinet to discuss plans to ban goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Tánaiste Simon Harris will seek Cabinet approval on Tuesday morning to draft legislation to prohibit the importation of goods from illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. However, provisions banning services, as contained in the original Occupied Territories Bill proposed by Senator Frances Black, look set to be excluded from the legislation. The Government has argued that Senator Black's legislation is not constitutional and would not withstand legal challenge. Mr Harris, who is also Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, will tell Cabinet that Israel's humanitarian blockade and renewed bombardment of Gaza have resulted in a situation of 'unprecedented gravity'. He will state that while Ireland does minimal trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Government has been 'resolute in its determination to use every lever available to end the war in the Middle East'. He will say there is now 'growing support at an EU level on issues where Ireland demonstrated early leadership with a small group of partners', including on the review of Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which is now taking place. He will say the Government's desire is to pursue a twin-track approach, seeking to build support at a European level to ensure compliance with international law while advancing domestic legislation, which he hopes the relevant Oireachtas committee can begin to scrutinise in June. Elsewhere, the Tánaiste will ask Cabinet to approve the drafting of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025, which will allow for the ratification of the EU-Canada trade deal, known as CETA. The Tánaiste will update on the latest trade developments after US President Donald Traump's threatened 50% tariff was paused. Mr Harris will tell colleagues that we have now passed the halfway mark of the original 90-day pause, meaning there are just 43 days left for the EU and the US to engage in meaningful and substantive negotiations aimed at reaching a deal. He will outline that the EU has shared with the US its ideas for an 'EU-US. Agreement on Reciprocal Mutually Beneficial Trade'. This proposal includes options aimed at reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers, promoting economic security, as well as facilitating strategic purchases, business opportunities and investment. He will say that a far-reaching negotiated agreement that protects consumers, businesses and the economies on both sides of the Atlantic is the best outcome and that there is now no time to lose to achieve this. He will also ask ministers to approve the participation of the Defence Forces in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for a further period of 12 months. Emergency legislation to extend planning permissions that are due to lapse is due to be discussed at Cabinet following a discussion by the leaders on Monday evening.. Housing Minister James Browne and Minister of State for Planning John Cummins have worked extensively on the legislation in a bid to activate developments such as large scale apartments which might otherwise time out of their permission timeline. The legislation, which could go before Cabinet as early as today, involves two provisions to deal with expiring permission to encourage their activation. This will include expanding the Planning Act to allow holders of all permissions that have been through a judicial review can apply to the planning authority for a retrospective suspension of the period of time their permission was held up. The second provision will allow developers with just two years left on their permission to apply for an extension for up to three years. The application for an extension must be made within six months of the legislation commencing and development must commence within 18 months of the commencement of the legislation. Taoiseach Micheál Martin will update Cabinet on the latest progress on developing a new National Digital Strategy.. He will outline Ireland's ambitions in digital and AI alongside Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers and Enterprise Minister Peter Burke. Long-awaited mental health legislation will be progressed further today, with Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler and Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill proposing over 200 amendments at Committee Stage. They will also propose to progress the Bill at Committee stage in the coming weeks. Minister Butler has formally written to the Mental Health Commission to request that it begin the development of new standards to regulate Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in preparation for the commencement of the legislation. Higher Education Minister James Lawless will unveil plans for the launch of Springboard+ 2025, which sees investment in 7,739 funded places across 250 courses in 38 higher education institutions. Disabilities Minister Norma Foley will present a Cabinet memo on the implementation of the European Accessibility Act from June 28 2025 onwards. The European Accessibility Act is designed to ensure that designated products and services are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes computers and operating systems, ATMs, e-ticketing and check-in machines, digital television services, banking services, and telephony services, including smartphones.
RTÉ News
26-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Tánaiste to seek Cabinet approval for EU-Canada trade deal legislation
Tánaiste Simon Harris will seek Cabinet approval tomorrow for the drafting of legislation which will allow for the ratification of the controversial EU-Canada trade deal. The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is a deal reached between the EU and Canada which requires the backing of parliaments across all the EU Member States to be fully operational. The provisional application of CETA has already led to an increase in bilateral trade in goods and services with Canada, which went from €3.2 billion in 2016 to more than €10 billion in 2023. The Tánaiste will argue that CETA is an important part of Ireland's economic diversification strategy, which has been brought into sharp focus by US President Donald Trump's threat to introduce 50% tariffs on EU goods. He believes that Canada shares similar concerns to Ireland and is a reliable and valued trading partner for us. If the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill is approved by the Government, and enacted by the Oireachtas, it would enable the ratification of CETA and similar deals with third countries that include investment protection provisions. However, Opposition parties are concerned that CETA contains a system of investor state courts, which they argue will serious negative ramifications on national regulation as it sets up a court outside our own domestic system. In particular, they contend that CETA would enable large corporations to sue countries if regulations hinder those companies' ability to trade. In November 2022, the Supreme Court ruled by a majority of four to three that the Constitution precludes the ratification of the deal. The court also ruled by a majority of six to one that if certain amendments were made to legislation then the deal could be ratified without breaching the constitution. However, the then coalition of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party did not legislate to overcome those legal concerns amid internal divisions. The legal case against CETA had been brought by the then Green Party TD for Dublin South Central, Patrick Costello. Earlier this year, the Tánaiste signalled this Government's intention to legislate on CETA - something the Cabinet will consider, and likely approve, on Tuesday.
Irish Examiner
26-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Government to appoint seven external experts to new disability service unit
Seven external experts are set to be appointed to a new Government unit to improve disability services across the State. The new disability unit, to be housed within the Department of the Taoiseach, is expected to be formally established in the weeks ahead. 'The Taoiseach wants a step change in the scale of support for people with disabilities and their families,' a senior Government source said. The disability unit will bring relevant departments are together to troubleshoot issues and highlight key issues and work together to improve government's response so that real change will be made and programme for government commitments are delivered. They added that, in bringing together key departments such as health, children, education, and social protection, it would ensure there is 'nowhere to hide and that these matters are dealt with in a meaningful way'. It is understood that seven individuals, with expertise in multiple areas relating to disabilities, will be seconded to work with civil servants assigned to the disability unit. The unit itself will be modelled off the existing Child Poverty Unit in the Taoiseach's department, with a framework currently being drawn up. On Tuesday, the Cabinet is expected to receive updates on the development of a new National Digital Strategy. The new strategy will particularly focus on artificial intelligence (AI). It is likely to include increasing the use of generative AI tools across Government departments, as part of a drive to increase productivity. A Government source said the strategy will provide some short-term plans, as well as a 'longer-term strategic vision to position Ireland for continued growth and investment'. Additionally, Tánaiste Simon Harris is set to seek approval to draft amendments to legislation to allow for the Government to ratify the EU-Canada trade deal, or Ceta. The deal was previously blocked by the Supreme Court, with it ruling the deal was unconstitutional unless the Arbitration Act 2010 was amended. The Government has put Ceta back on the table for ratification as part of its push for diversification, amid the threat of tariffs from the US. Ceta has been in force provisionally for a number of years, with Ireland seeing an increased level of trade with Canada in recent years. Trade with Canada in 2016 was valued at €3.2bn, but rose to over €10bn in 2023.
Irish Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Coalition to accelerate plans for ratifying EU–Canada trade deal
The Government is to speed up ratification of the European Union-Canada trade deal – known as Ceta [Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement ] – which was shelved in a Supreme Court judgment during 2022. The trade agreement was the subject of a legal challenge from then Green Party TD Patrick Costello , with the Supreme Court finding the government's approach was unconstitutional and forcing the previous coalition to pause its plan to ratify the deal. Minister for Trade Simon Harris will update the Cabinet on the latest developments in trade, including negotiations between the EU and the United States – and his plan to accelerate the ratification of the Ceta deal. [ Ireland's proposed ratification of EU-Canada trade deal unconstitutional as Irish law stands, Supreme Court rules Opens in new window ] He will tell the Cabinet that his department has prepared draft laws which officials believe will address the issues in the Supreme Court ruling. It is intended to bring a memo to Cabinet by the end of May. READ MORE It is understood that the proposed approach would enable ratification of Ceta and also other EU-third country agreements which involve investor-State arbitration schemes – the feature of Ceta opponents resisted most strongly. Taoiseach Micheál Martin will brief ministers on the latest report from the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), which provides him with strategic policy advice. The report reviews compact growth in the State. It recommends a review of development incentives to provide stronger incentives for brownfield development and advises more flexible rent controls to support increased supply. 100 days of Government and very little to show Listen | 40:27 The NESC also says there should be more investment in cost-rental homes, and measures to seek reductions in the cost of building houses and apartments. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan will bring a miscellaneous Bill which will enable greater use of remote hearings and electronic documents in criminal trials. It will also contain measures to address severe prison overcrowding and an associated increase in violent incidents, and amend the law on the disclosure of counselling notes in sexual offence trials. The same Bill will extend Covid-era laws allowing outdoor seating for licensed premises for another six months. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke will brief the Cabinet on plans for trade diversification, including reviewing supports for Irish small firms – and the consideration of a weeklong trade mission led by the Taoiseach in November, with the destination yet to be decided. Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan will bring the National Museum's annual report and an update on the implementation of the Government's Creative Youth plan, as well as a joint memorandum with Mr Harris on sports diplomacy. [ Taoiseach says Ceta ruling shows referendum not required to ratify trade deal Opens in new window ] Meanwhile, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will brief Cabinet on new figures regarding suicide rates. They will say that the rate has reduced by a quarter and the State is now 11th lowest in the EU. Ms Butler intends to finalise a new strategy to reduce suicide and self-harm by the end of this year. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers will brief the Cabinet on the new annual progress report – the first significant event in the pre-budget calendar. The report sets out revised macroeconomic projections. And its forecasts were calibrated on the assumption of no transatlantic trade tariffs being introduced – and the baseline presumes a deal will be done between the EU and Donald Trump. But the document also sets out an alternative with a 10 per cent tariff between the US and the rest of the world, and 60 per cent on Chinese goods. Minister for Higher Education James Lawless will tell Cabinet he intends to sign a joint declaration by EU science ministers on quantum technologies, which are used in a variety of sectors including healthcare, climate modelling and digital security. Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon will outline Ireland's priorities for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy negotiations. Minister for Energy Darragh O'Brien will update the Government on plans for the State's next renewable energy auction, to begin in May and run in September this year.
