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Tánaiste welcomes waiver for arbitration bill

The Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade has agreed to waive pre-legislative scrutiny of a bill aimed at facilitating Ireland’s ratification of an EU trade deal with Canada.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris, who requested the waiver, said that he would now move forward with the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the autumn.

In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that Ireland could not ratify the EU–Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) unless legislative changes were made.

Investment protection

The bill proposes the amendments to the Arbitration Act 2010 needed to allow for the ratification of CETA and other similar trade deals with third countries that include investment-protection provisions – including Singapore, Vietnam, Chile and Mexico.

Welcoming the committee’s decision, the Tánaiste described it as “timely, given the developments over the last 24 hours in relation to EU and US trade”.

“This is about more trade, more jobs, and more stability for Ireland. At a time of uncertainty in global trade, this is what Ireland needs to secure our future,” he stated.