The Matheson Autumn / Winter 2024 Horizon Tracker has been distributed to our clients this week. This discusses key Irish and EU legislative and regulatory developments of interest to those clients and their businesses, incorporating a review of 2024, as well as our thoughts on what is expected for the year ahead.
Unlike previous editions, this edition necessarily navigates the impact of a general election being called in Ireland. As publication has post-dated the dissolution of the Dáil (the lower house of the Irish legislature) ahead of voting on 29 November 2024, this Horizon Tracker's consideration of the bills detailed in the outgoing Government's Autumn 2024 Legislative Programme captures relevant progress made during the most recent legislative session, as well as reflecting the impact of the current Governmental transition on that process.
As we noted previously in relation to our Summer 2024 Horizon Tracker, the bills enacted by the outgoing Government since the last general election in 2020 reflect the breadth of areas addressed, with the list including legislation on finance matters, planning and development, administration of justice and consumer protection, including in relation to the provision of financial services and online safety and privacy. Many of those have continued to be the subject of focus throughout the most recent legislative session, including notably the enactment in October of the landmark Planning and Development Act 2024, the third largest piece of legislation in the history of the State.
Further legislative and regulatory developments of likely significance for our clients have been selected for inclusion in this edition of the Horizon Tracker across a range of issues from sustainability reporting (which has been a key issue this year and is expected to remain a priority for 2025) to new changes on the way for the regulatory, governance and enforcement framework for Irish entities. With a shift towards smart regulation for financial services, both from a domestic and European perspective, and a parallel drive to update and expand the regulatory framework across many sectors, these aspects of the regulatory agenda also feature in this edition, with a particular emphasis on consumer protection.
As this autumn / winter edition explains, those domestic bills that had not completed their passage when the Dáil was dissolved now await the constitution of the new Government in order to progress. Whether the incoming Government will adopt the same priorities as its predecessor will be revealed in due course in any updated legislative programme the newly-elected Government may publish.
This year has also seen significant political change at European level, with a new European Parliament elected, which subsequently re-elected Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission, and a new European Commission being constituted for the 2024-2029 term.
This edition's consideration of what may lie ahead in 2025 is set against that evolving domestic and European political backdrop as these changes will shape the future legislative and regulatory agenda.
The Horizon Tracker includes links to all available primary texts and consultations. It also includes commentary and analysis with further links to additional Matheson Insights and to the Matheson Knowledge Hub.
For further information, please consult the Autumn / Winter 2024 Matheson Horizon Tracker.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
