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Irish Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Post
Ireland's membership of CERN approved with start date confirmed
IRELAND'S bid to become a member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has been approved it was confirmed today. In a statement Tánaiste Simon Harris and Science Minister James Lawless revealed they have 'jointly secured Government approval of the final steps for Ireland to join the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN'. 'Having personally advocated for Ireland's Associate Membership of CERN for a long time, it is a pleasure to officially announce that Ireland will join CERN in October this year,' Minister Lawless said. Mr Harris said Ireland's associate membership will demonstrate the nation's 'commitment to science and reaffirm our reputation as a centre for scientific investment'. The CERN centre in Geneva, Switzerland (Pic: CERN) 'It will create opportunities for Irish researchers, students and industry to join world-class teams at CERN, and it will give CERN access to Ireland's talent and expertise,' he added. Ireland's membership was approved by Cabinet today, in a move which 'authorises the final legal steps', Mr Lawless confirmed. 'Following today's decision, the Taoiseach signed a Government Order to enable the State to meet its obligations under the CERN Protocol on Privileges and Immunities,' he explained. 'The remaining steps are now for Ireland to notify the Director-General of CERN that the internal approval procedures for the Associate Membership Agreement are complete, and to deposit an Instrument of Accession to the CERN Protocol on Privileges and Immunities with UNESCO. 'Following a mandatory waiting period, Ireland's Associate Membership is expected to begin officially in October.' Ireland's associate membership of CERN will make Irish citizens eligible for staff positions and fellowships there Minister Lawless added: 'Associate Membership of CERN is a long-standing national ambition and a commitment in the Programme for Government. 'However, joining CERN is only the beginning of Ireland's journey. It is a priority for me as Minister to ensure Ireland's success as an Associate Member State. 'My Department will establish an expert advisory group in the coming months to guide our national approach to CERN membership. 'This group will work with my Department to maximise benefits for both Ireland and CERN.' Associate membership of CERN is expected to bring benefits to Ireland across research, industry, skills, science outreach, and international relations. It will open doors for Ireland's researchers to participate in CERN's scientific programmes and will make Irish citizens eligible for staff positions and fellowships at CERN. It will also be possible for Irish citizens to access CERN's formal training schemes and to develop skills in industry-relevant areas such as electronics, photonics, materials, energy systems and software. Membership will also allow Irish businesses to compete for contracts with CERN.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
New labels on alcohol about health risks to be pushed back until 2029
Ibec said the labels should be paused as they are hiking labelling costs by 30pc of alcoholic products. The lobby group previously accused the Department of Health of 'railroading' the law underpinning the new alcohol labels and said the Government is going on a 'solo run' by bringing the labels in. The Government previously signalled it would pause the labels due to the extra costs facing businesses already in light of new US tariffs. Plans to postpone the requirement for the new labels were indicated in a letter sent to members of the Government's trade forum by Tánaiste Simon Harris. Senior ministers Peter Burke and Martin Heydon asked their Fine Gael Cabinet colleague Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to push back the roll out of the labels. Minister Carroll MacNeill will be the Minister tasked with signing the statutory instrument which will give impact to the new laws. But it is now expected they will not kick in until 2029. Under the new laws, labels on alcohol products will warn about the risk of liver disease and fatal cancers from alcohol consumption. The labels were supposed to roll out next May and will make Ireland the first country to have mandatory health warning labels on all alcoholic beverages. In his push for the labels to be delayed, Minister Heydon said he had concerns about the impact on 'jobs and investment'. ADVERTISEMENT 'The concerns I brought to the discussion were the economic issues which had been conveyed to us at an international level, especially from the US,' he said in a statement previously. 'This included the impact on jobs and investment. We have strong exports of Irish whiskey especially to the US. The Tánaiste previously told the Dáil the Government needs to 'consider' the timeline due to a 'very new trade environment'. Alcohol Action said it is "bizarre" the Government would delay rollout of the labels and warned on the impact this will have on the health of the public. 'No decision has been made yet on labelling and this is clearly yet another instance of the alcohol industry and their friends in government putting more pressure on the Taoiseach and Health Minister to turn their backs on public health," said the organisation's CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany. 'It is bizarre that the government should even contemplate delaying this measure which has been in planning for years. 'Any decision to delay the regulations has consequences, not least the 4,000 people who will receive a cancer diagnosis caused by alcohol and the multiple thousands of babies who will be born with FASD in the four years that a delay has been mooted for," she said.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Nightmare for Ireland' - Trump's new tariff threat sparks panic
A US tariff of 30% would 'stop trade as we know it' with the EU, Ireland's foreign affairs minister has said. Simon Harris was echoing comments from the EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic who said on Monday that such a tariff would effectively 'prohibit' trans-Atlantic trade. US President Donald Trump indicated at the weekend that the EU would face a 30% tariff from August 1 if a deal is not struck. The Irish drinks industry has described it as a 'nightmare' scenario and concern has also been expressed on the effect such tariffs could have on US pharma multinationals based in Ireland. Simon Harris, who is also Ireland's deputy premier, said Mr Sefcovic was sharing a 'grim message' but it was 'important to be truthful'. The Tanaiste said a 30% tariff would be 'extraordinary' and urged businesses to prepare for all scenarios, but added that a negotiated agreement was still possible. 'He (Mr Trump) knows as a businessman that tariffs at that level would not just disrupt trade, it would in many ways stop trade as we know it functioning between Europe and the US,' he told Newstalk radio. 'So I do still believe there is a landing zone here for a deal, there is a landing zone for an agreement.' He said that Mr Trump had previously threatened tariffs that did not come into effect. In May, Mr Trump said he was recommending that a 50% tariff rate come into effect on June 1. He added: 'This is a time of huge volatility but, let me be clear, there is a way forward. 'I know from the conversations I've been having with colleagues, I know from my meetings with the US administration there is a deal here to be done, there is a landing zone, the question is if and when the US is up for it.' Mr Harris met the US ambassador to Ireland, Ed Walsh, on Monday, and is to meet Irish-based US pharmaceutical multinationals online on Wednesday. Ireland has consistently called for zero-for-zero tariffs in as many areas as possible, with particular concern about Irish beef, dairy and alcohol exports. The Irish government has also expressed concern at how tariffs could affect pharma multinationals based in Ireland. The US has previously signalled that it intends to target the pharmaceutical industry, which employs about 45,000 people in Ireland. Opposition parties raised concerns that the economic uncertainty would hit families struggling due to the cost of living in October's budget. Labour TD George Lawlor said it was a 'ridiculous situation' that Mr Trump prompts an 'almost weekly change in direction' on trade. He said the uncertainty was creating 'unease' for businesses based in Ireland that export to the US. Labour TD Marie Sherlock said the economic uncertainty caused by the threat of tariffs meant families were facing a 'nightmare' scenario in relation to the budget. She said it looked as though 'pre-election sweeteners', such as a drop in student administrative fees and energy credits, would be withdrawn. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Mairead McGuinness nominated by Fine Gael to run for presidency
Mairead McGuinness has been nominated by Fine Gael to run for the presidential election. The MEP's name will go forward for ratification at a party event in September and will mark the start of the Fine Gael presidential election campaign. Ms McGuinness said she is 'conscious of the opportunity and challenge ahead, given the very important constitutional role of the President, and the esteem in which the office is held by the people. 'Subject to my candidacy being ratified by the party in early September, I very much look forward to setting out my vision.' READ MORE Tánaiste and Fine Gael President Simon Harris said Ms McGuinness has 'all the attributes to bring our nation together at this important time.' Meanwhile, Aontú is seeking to build a bloc of Oireachtas members who could nominate a candidate to run in the upcoming presidential election. Party leader Peadar Toibín said there is a danger the election could end up as a debate between Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness and Independent TD Catherine Connolly and that a significant proportion of the population would not have their values represented in that scenario. However, there was scepticism from rival party Independent Ireland that a candidate put forward by Aontú would get enough support to get on the ballot paper. Presidential candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members or four local authority councils to get on the ballot paper for the election due to happen in late October or early November. Aontú has three Oireachtas members. Mr Toibín said his party has spoken to a number of other groups, Independents and another political party which he identified as Independent Ireland which has four TDs. 'We have suggested about 20 or 25 TDs and Senators come together to create a selection bloc, and that a number of candidates who would be of similar values would put themselves forward to that selection bloc.' He said the participating Oireachtas members could then vote through PRSTV (proportional representation with a single transferable vote) style system to select the 'best candidate'. The bloc would then nominate the winner of the vote en masse. He said that at present 'there isn't 20 [Oireachtas members] locked-in' to participate but 'there are a number who are very favourable'. Mr Toibín said the defeat of the Family and Care referendums last year proved there was 'a section of Irish society that didn't have a voice, they felt, in terms of Leinster House.' He said he wants to see these people have a voice in the presidential election. He suggested any candidate that might emerge from the process 'would be of a centrist position in terms of the political spectrum.' Mr Toibín said Aontú has spoken to two potential candidates which he said are well-known 'people of quality' and he has suggested names to Independent Ireland and to a number of other independents. Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins had earlier told reporters at Leinster House that his party has not discussed the Presidential election with Aontú. He also said: 'I don't think Aontú can put forward a candidate that can get 20 votes. 'Prove me wrong Peader and I'll say yes, you're 100 per cent right and I apologise. 'But at this present time I don't think that's a possibility.' Asked about Mr Collin's remarks Mr Toibín later said that his party has been in contact with Independent Ireland MEP Ciarán Mullooly. On Mr Collins' suggestion that a name put forward by Aontú would not get 20 nominees, Mr Toibín said: 'it is in the hands of the candidates to be able to build up enough support. 'What we're trying to do is facilitate it because it is easy for political parties and independents to sit on the sidelines of this and say, listen, if someone gets 16 nominations, sure we'll throw our name on to it. 'But that's not necessarily going to give a momentum or a process for that to be achieved, and that's what we're trying to do.' Mr Collins meanwhile said his party will be speaking to potential candidates including Ms Connolly in the coming days. He said Ms Connolly would 'absolutely' make a good president and the party would give 'serious consideration' to supporting her.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Government approves final steps for Ireland to join CERN
The Government has approved the final steps for Ireland to become an associate member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Following a mandatory waiting period, the membership is expected to begin officially in October. CERN is an intergovernmental organisation that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world on the Franco-Swiss border, just outside Geneva. The main focus of activity in CERN is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27km underground ring in which protons are accelerated and collide with one another. Associate membership will allow Ireland's researchers to participate in CERN's scientific programmes and will make Irish citizens eligible for staff positions and fellowships at CERN. Membership will also allow Ireland's businesses to compete in CERN procurement programmes. Associate membership is expected to cost around €1.9 million a year, for an initial period of five years. Following today's Cabinet decision, the Taoiseach signed a Government Order to enable the State to meet its obligations under CERN membership. The remaining steps are now for Ireland to notify the Director-General of CERN that the internal approval procedures for the Associate Membership Agreement are complete, and to deposit an Instrument of Accession to the CERN Protocol on Privileges and Immunities with UNESCO. "Associate Membership of CERN will demonstrate Ireland's commitment to science and reaffirm our reputation as a centre for scientific investment," said Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless said today's Cabinet approval is a milestone which authorises the final legal steps. "My Department will establish an expert advisory group in the coming months to guide our national approach to CERN membership," Mr Lawless said. "This group will work with my Department to maximise benefits for both Ireland and CERN," he added.
