Welcome to the Spring 2025 edition of the Matheson Horizon Tracker

The Matheson Horizon Tracker highlights key legislative and regulatory developments in Ireland and the EU, together with commentary informed by Matheson Insights across our practice areas. This edition focuses on the newly formed Irish government and its legislative agenda for the year ahead. We hope that by highlighting these developments and providing our insights into what these developments mean for companies doing business in Ireland, any challenges and opportunities can be identified at an earlier juncture and incorporated into company strategy well in advance.

Our commentary is based in part on the incoming Irish Government’s legislative programme for Spring 2025 (referred to throughout this edition as the “Spring 2025 Legislative Programme”). The Government’s approach marks a continuation of many of the priorities seen in the Autumn 2024 Legislative Programme, with a heightened focus on certain emerging challenges and opportunities at a time of geopolitical uncertainty.

The Spring 2025 Legislative Programme is an ambitious step towards modernising key sectors, with a focus on sustainability and digital transformation. Among the most notable updates to the Government’s commitments is the focus on new regulations concerning data protection, cybersecurity, and consumer rights.

While keeping track of all Irish regulatory developments, the ever-evolving EU regulatory landscape is something we are watching carefully and advising on regularly. The concepts of “competitiveness” and “simplification” have been established as some of the EU’s overarching principles following the recommendations of the Draghi report, and we are now seeing this reflected in proposed packages from the EU. The Omnibus Simplification Package, focusing on sustainability reporting obligations on companies is a clear example of this drive for increasing competitiveness and simplification of EU rules.

Together, these developments reflect a broader shift towards a more digital, sustainable, and social responsible future, with both Irish and EU policymakers aligning their efforts to meet the challenges and opportunities of 2025 and beyond. This tracker will guide you through these updates, offering insights into their potential impacts on businesses and the wider economy.

Our Knowledge Insights Series events, which complement our Matheson Horizon Trackers, focus on similar areas in 2025. Recordings of those events are available on the Matheson Knowledge Hub.

All of the developments referred to in this edition of the Horizon Tracker are up to date as of 27 March 2025. If you have any questions about any of the content in this Horizon Tracker please contact a member of the PSL Faculty or your usually Matheson advisor.

Julie Murray, Head of Knowledge Management