EU hits Ireland with a wave of infringement notices
Property services
One notice targets the provision of property services and Ireland's requirement that companies from other countries wishing to provide such services here must have authorisation and client protection schemes in their home country.
The commission argues that this requirement unfairly hinders service providers from other EU states.
'It prevents providers of property services from providing these services in Ireland if they are established in a member state where no such schemes exist,' the commission stated.
Ireland has been given two months to respond to this letter of formal notice.
Customs and banking data
Ireland is one of six countries to receive a formal notice for failing to meet its obligations on customs data transmission through the EU's digital system. Despite deadlines to comply, Ireland, Czechia, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, and Slovakia continue to use outdated formats and provide reduced datasets.
Ireland also received a letter of formal notice for failing to comply with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) by transmitting bank account information and records of banking transactions.
The commission said these are crucial for investigating fraud and corruption affecting the EU budget: 'Requirements have been in force since January 2021, yet Ireland has not notified the national authority competent to provide OLAF with bank account information and records of bank transactions.
'Hence, OLAF is unable to address any request for such information needed in the context of its investigations.'
Renewable energy
The commission said Ireland, Portugal, and Latvia failed to fully transpose into law regulations which aim to simplify and accelerate permitting procedures both for renewable energy projects and for infrastructure projects necessary to integrate the additional capacity into the electricity system.
Methane emissions
Finally, Ireland is among several countries that have breached regulations related to methane emissions.
The countries failed to appoint and notify the commission of a competent authority responsible for monitoring and enforcing the regulation's rules on methane emissions in the crude oil, natural gas, and coal sectors.
For all five formal notices, Ireland has two months with which to respond, after which the commission may issue further sanctions.
Read More
Social Democrats ask EU anti-fraud watchdog to probe failure to inspect Shannon flights
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
16 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Donal O'Donovan: Trade deal is big win for Donald Trump, bad loss for Europeans and a disaster for the EU
Ursula von der Leyen's cowed description of the deal struck with Donald Trump as 'a rebalancing' marks the scale of her capitulation – explicitly buying the US line that there was something off about pre-Trump trade between the US and EU.
Irish Independent
16 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The week ahead in business: trade-deal deadline, bank earnings and results for Euronext and IAG
This year, in complete contrast, August 1 marks the deadline set by US president Donald Trump for a trade deal between America and the EU, or else he imposes a 30pc tariff on imports from Europe. A deal has now been done on the basis of a 15pc baseline tariff. While the details remain scanty this is in line the agreement reached between the US and Japan last week. There is likely to be further back and forth as the two sides quibble over what is and isn't in the deal in the coming days. Mr Trump may not get his way on something else – a cut in US interest rates. The Federal Reserve is due to decide on Wednesday whether to leave rates unchanged at 4.25pc-4.5pc for a fifth consecutive meeting, as it waits for more clarity on the outlook for inflation in particular. The other 'season' that kicks off this week is Irish banks' earnings season, which begins on tomorrow with Bank of Ireland. It will be followed by PTSB on Thursday and AIB on Friday. These should be relatively jolly affairs, given the announcement last week that gross lending amounted to €3.4bn in Q2 2025, which was up 18pc year on year. Davy is forecasting gross mortgage lending of €14bn this year, which would represent 11pc growth. Denis McGoldrick of Goodbody is predicting that capital distributions and loan growth will be key areas of focus for the banks in their interim results. 'We are forecasting that AIB Group will announce an interim dividend – their first since the global financial crisis – of 13c per share and 26c per share for Bank of Ireland. 'Meanwhile at PTSB, we expect confirmation that the updated internal ratings-based mortgage models have been submitted to the regulator which we believe could release as much as c.€200m in capital, once approved. This would allow the bank to begin directed buybacks with the Irish State, increase loan growth ambitions and pursue M&A opportunities which may arise in the non-bank sector, in particular.' Results to watch out for include Euronext, the stock market operator, which will publish its Q2 figures on Thursday, after markets close. IAG, the owner of Aer Lingus, will announce its Q2 results on Friday The Central Statistics Office will have tourism figures for June, which will be closely watched given the recent downward trajectory of visitor numbers.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Trump's deal with Europe sucks for Ireland and what the EU is importing
Europe is poised to embrace a surge of American vehicles and energy following Brussels securing an eleventh-hour trade agreement with Donald Trump, barely averting a transatlantic trade war. The pact, revealed on Sunday, means the European Union will now encounter a uniform 15 per cent levy on exports to the United States—cutting in half the 30 per cent rate previously threatened by the former president. In return, Mr Trump stated the EU had consented to eliminate tariffs completely on US goods entering the bloc. Nevertheless, in stark contrast to the EU's negotiations with the UK over Brexit, where complex matters such as implementing trade obstacles across the Irish Sea arose, this time Ireland's interests appear to have been relegated to the lower end of the bloc's priorities. How significant is Trump's agreement with Europe? Under the arrangement, the EU will purchase $750bn (£558bn) of energy from the United States and pledge an additional $600bn in investments into the world's largest economy. "We are agreeing that the tariff straight across for automobiles and everything else will be a tariff of 15pc," said Mr Trump, who has consistently advocated for Europe to purchase more American oil and gas. "We have the opening up of all the European countries, which were essentially closed. You were not exactly taking our autos, you weren't exactly taking our agriculture. Now it is open. "It is open for our companies to go in and do a good job." Europe is set to welcome a wave of American cars and energy after Brussels clinched a deal (Image: Getty) Mr Trump stated the agreement would provide Europeans with enhanced access to US pickup trucks and SUVs, with commerce between the two economies now poised to grow. "They [Europe] are going to make a lot of money with this," he said. "I think everybody is. And it is going to bring a lot of unity and friendship." Financial markets have been rattled in recent months by Mr Trump's fluctuating trade policies, with the tariff standoff generating uncertainty for global investors and governments. What does Trump hope to achieve with his Europe trade deal? Ms von der Leyen said the objective of the agreement was to "rebalance" trade flows between the two sides. "The starting point was an imbalance, a surplus on our side and a deficit on the US side, and we wanted to rebalance that," she said. "We wanted to do it in a way that trade goes on between the two of us, across the Atlantic. "The two biggest economies should have good trade flowing: rebalance, but enable trade on both sides, which means good jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, which means prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic. That was important to us." The agreement excludes steel and aluminium, which will still face higher tariffs of 50 per cent when exported to the US. British exports of the same materials face a reduced tariff of 25 per cent. Bad for Ireland: drugs firms left out of deal This exclusion could prove a major blow to Ireland, which depends heavily on its pharmaceutical exports. "We have to have them made in the US," Mr Trump declared. "We want them made in the US. Pharmaceuticals are very special. "We can't be in a position where we are relying on other countries. Europe is going to make pharmaceuticals, drugs and everything else for us too, a lot, but we are going to make our own." The Irish government has voiced concerns that looming US tariffs could deal a major blow to the country's pharmaceutical sector, which employs around 45,000 people. Ministers are particularly worried about the impact on multinational drug companies based in Ireland, following signals from Washington that the pharmaceutical industry may be the next target in a broader trade clampdown. While the EU's new trade agreement with Donald Trump excluded pharmaceuticals from immediate tariff hikes, the US has made clear that it still plans to address the sector in separate talks. Claus Vistesen, from Pantheon Macroeconomics, stated that the agreed 15 per cent tariff was less severe than many feared, and unlikely to alarm financial markets-but he warned it would still dent both the EU and US economies. "Trump is finding a middle ground," Mr Vistesen commented. "He is still shooting himself in the foot. US consumers will pay higher prices, and growth in trading partners will be lower than it would have otherwise been."
