Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Higgins for raising this important matter to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. There is a particular focus on simplification and burden reduction at EU level following on from the Letta and Draghi reports published in 2024. The European Council has called for a simplification revolution by ensuring a clear, simple and smart regulatory framework for businesses and drastically reducing administrative, regulatory and reporting burdens, in particular for small and medium enterprises. One of the key objectives to be implemented without delay was reducing reporting requirements by at least 25% in the first half of 2025.

The European Commission’s work programme for 2025, which was published last week, places a strong focus on simplification and proposes a series of so-called omnibus proposals to include an omnibus package on simplification, investment simplification, small mid-caps and the removal of paper requirements and a digital package.

Ireland welcomes the increased focus on better regulation and simplification at EU level. This includes the appointment of Commissioner Dombrovskis as Commissioner for implementation and simplification with responsibility for co-ordinating the Commission’s burden reduction and simplification initiatives. The mission letters from President von der Leyen to each Commissioner have effectively mainstreamed the better regulation agenda, with all Commissioners now tasked with reducing administrative burdens and reviewing the legislation within their remit. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has responsibility for both the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, CSDDD, and the corporate sustainability reporting directive, CSRD, and is supportive of their objectives, which aim to promote responsible business conduct. The EU taxonomy regulation is under the remit of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe.

I understand that the European Commission in recent weeks held a number of round-table consultations with representatives from industry and civil society as part of its preparations for the development of the omnibus proposal on sustainability. I also understand that this proposal is formally being presented to EU ambassadors today, as Senator Higgins outlined, and will subsequently be published. Officials in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will carefully examine the content of the proposal once published and will engage with the appropriate working group in Brussels, prior to the proposal being finalised.