Malcolm Byrne
Question:410. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide an update on plans for a referendum on Ireland’s membership of the Unified Patent Court System. [45872/26]
View answerTuesday, 16 June 2026
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The Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA), which establishes the Unified Patent Court (UPC), is an international agreement signed by Ireland and 23 other European Union member states during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2013. At present, 18 EU member states are ratified members of the UPC system.
Ireland sees many benefits in joining the Unitary Patent system including increased competitiveness, cost benefits to Irish innovators and support for native research & development and SMEs in a rapidly evolving global economy. Furthermore, should Ireland ratify the Agreement, Government has committed to establishing a local division of the Unified Patent Court in Ireland, facilitating the enforcement of unitary patent rights in this country.
The Government is committed to participating in the UPC system, subject to a successful referendum. A referendum is required to ratify the UPCA, as this would involve transferring certain aspects of judicial authority from the Irish courts to an international court. A referendum was initially scheduled to be held on 7th June 2024 alongside the Local and European Elections; however, this was postponed to facilitate greater public discourse on the matter. The timing of any future referendum remains a matter for Government.