Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
154. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the measures his Department is taking to break down EU single market barriers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45566/26]
View answerThe Single Market Strategy aims to deliver on the internal market’s full potential as an enabler of European competitiveness - in particular by removing what are identified in the Strategy as the “Terrible Ten” most persistent barriers to cross-border trade across the EU.
Diverging national rules have become embedded across EU member states, fragmenting the Single Market, impeding the cross-border flow of goods, services and workers, and restricting opportunities for intra-EU trade, competition, consumer choice and ultimately economic growth.
These Single Market barriers have in part been credited to uneven or non-implementation of or compliance with Single Market rules across Member States.
To address this, the Single Market Strategy called on all Member States to appoint “Single Market Sherpas” - senior officials with authority towards all parts of Government, to promote the application of Single Market rules and play an active role in preventing and addressing national regulatory and administrative Single Market barriers.
I recently secured Government approval for a major overhaul of Ireland’s approach to the EU Single Market, through the establishment of a new national implementation framework for the EU’s Single Market Strategy.
Our plan sets out a coordinated set of actions to strengthen Ireland’s implementation and compliance with Single Market rules, remove barriers to trade, and contribute towards the broader success of the Single Market Strategy.
These are:
• Appointment of the Secretary General of my Department as Ireland’s Single Market Sherpa
• Creation of a dedicated Single Market Office, based in my Department, which will act as a national focal point for promoting education, awareness and stakeholder engagement with the Single Market
• Establishment of an interdepartmental Single Market Taskforce at Assistant Secretary level, to actively monitor Ireland’s compliance with its Single Market obligations and identify, address and prevent national barriers
• The setting up of a Single Market Advisory Panel that brings together business, academic and stakeholder expertise to identify and advise on the most pressing issues of Single Market compliance both in Ireland and the broader EU
These measures will strengthen Ireland’s compliance with Single Market rules, reduce unnecessary regulatory complexity and ensure that businesses can compete and scale more easily across Europe.
