The Irish business voice must be heard once the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and the EU formally begin. This means leveraging our networks both in Europe and the UK to highlight the value of maintaining a close trading relationship.

We’ll also be working with our member Chambers to prepare them for the possibility that a free trade agreement with the EU, which frequently involves several years of negotiations between the EU and an individual country, will not be in place between the EU and the UK by the end of 2020.

As of January 2020, Ireland is at 4.8% unemployment, meaning that the labour market is very tight and recruitment continues to be a challenge for many employers, particularly those outside Dublin.

In 2020, Chambers Ireland will be calling on the next Government to think creatively about how we can support greater labour force participation. Supports for flexible, inclusive workplaces that are family and age friendly will support not only labour activation but improve health, well-being and productivity.

Chambers Ireland’s priority focus for 2020 is to advance the Urban Living agenda and to work with Government to reform any obstacles to the provision of homes in urban centres.

One such policy proposal includes the formation of an Urban Living Initiative for urban spaces across the country. Specifically, what is now the Living City Initiative (LCI) should be expanded and reformed to include long-term vacant commercial properties built post-1915 in the cities and towns specified in the National Planning Framework (NPF).

Decarbonising transport will be essential to meeting our 2030 and 2050 climate targets. We need significant investment in Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure, public transport and we need more support for technologies such as biogas and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to reduce carbon emissions from heavy goods vehicles.

Policies that support more sustainable modes of mobility do more than help us meet our climate targets, they also significantly improve quality of life.