Ireland’s EU Presidency to Focus on Trade

Ireland, which took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Jan. 1, has made trade one of its top priorities.

The Irish leadership plans to focus on completing work on the EU free trade agreements with Canada and Singapore; making progress on ongoing trade deals with partners, such as Japan and India; and paving the way for the launch of negotiations on an EU-U.S. trade agreement.

Regarding legislation, Ireland will consider a review of trade defense instruments and proposals on investor-to-state dispute settlements.