Ireland: Government Policy & Public Finance

Ireland faces a critical decision about nuclear energy: not whether to build a reactor today, but whether to preserve the option for the 2040s. With Small Modular Reactors emerging as the only viable nuclear technology for Ireland's small grid, and neighbouring countries already deep into their nuclear programmes, what groundwork must Ireland complete now to keep this low-carbon baseload option genuinely available?

The Government has published its Autumn 2026 Legislation Programme, identifying 32 bills for priority publication and 32 bills for priority drafting. This article explores a selection of measures likely to be of interest to businesses, spanning digital economy, strategic infrastructure, litigation reform, financial regulation, competition law, corporate structures, employment, pensions, and healthcare sectors.

Ireland has established the AI Office as its central coordinating authority under the EU AI Act, introducing a comprehensive regulatory framework that includes sector-based supervision, enforcement powers, and administrative fines reaching up to €35 million. The new legislation empowers market surveillance authorities like the Central Bank and Data Protection Commission to oversee AI compliance while creating a regulatory sandbox to foster innovation within legal boundaries.

The European Commission's Technological Sovereignty Package introduces a four-tiered assurance framework that fundamentally reshapes how public bodies procure cloud and AI services, with requirements escalating from basic data residency...

Ireland is raising its merger control notification thresholds effective July 2026, with the aggregate turnover requirement increasing from €60 million to €100 million and individual undertaking thresholds rising from €10 million to €15 million.

As EU leaders advance Multiannual Financial Framework negotiations for the 2028-2034 budget period, Ireland prepares to assume the Council Presidency amid complex debates over budget size, own resources, and competing priorities across defence, energy security, and competitiveness. The negotiations present significant implications for corporate tax policy, energy markets, and regulatory frameworks as Member States navigate fiscal constraints against geopolitical pressures.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has published its Action Plan under the Croke Park Public Sector Agreement for the local authority sector.

In the wake of the recommendations of the McCarthy Report in 2009, and the subsequent cutbacks in public spending over the past 3 years, statutory bodies are now required to carry out their functions within diminishing budgets.

The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 was passed by the Irish legislature on Friday 27 February 2009, and was signed into law by the President the following day.