COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Ireland Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union

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EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
Strasbourg, 8.7.2025
SWD(2025) 907 final
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT
2025 Rule of Law Report
Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Ireland
Accompanying the document
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
2025 Rule of Law Report
The rule of law situation in the European Union
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1
ABSTRACT
Reforms aimed at enhancing the independence and quality of the justice system in Ireland
continued and companies perceive its independence as very high. The Judicial Appointments
Commission, established to reduce political influence in the appointment and promotion of
judges, has started its work. Further steps have been taken to reduce the costs of litigation,
with work to learn from the development of scales of fees in environmental and planning
judicial review cases underway, and a Civil Reform Bill is under preparation. A general
review of the civil legal aid scheme has been completed and a reform of the criminal legal aid
system is being prepared. Steps are planned to ensure better access to justice, though
concerns persist about the length of proceedings. There remain questions about the need for
additional safeguards for employment conditions for the judiciary. A follow-up to the report
on the Offences Against the State Acts as regards the operation of the Special Criminal Court
remains to be decided by the Government. There are no defined indicators available to
measure the length of proceedings in the different courts. The new law providing for the
establishment of an independent assessment procedure to assess claims for cases of
excessively long court proceedings is expected to enter into force in 2025. Further measures
to improve digitalisation of justice are being implemented.
Ireland continues to have an efficient framework for both the prevention of corruption and
enforcement of anti-corruption regulations. The publication of the draft multiannual anti-
corruption strategy is delayed. While the cooperation among responsible authorities is
smooth, insufficient resources and specialisation remain a challenge for investigating and
prosecuting corruption cases. Awareness-raising activities and training measures on integrity
improved, and new structures and processes are being set up to strengthen integrity and to
enhance accountability of the police. The reform of the existing framework for Ethics in
Public Office, including the digitalisation of asset declarations, is at an advanced preparatory
stage. The Lobbying register was extended to include information about lobbying activities at
the level of senior officials in high-level bodies. New legislation aims to mitigate risks in the
planning and development sectors.
The media regulator functions independently and relies on a self-financing system ensuring
adequate resources to carry out its growing regulatory competences. The Government put
forward a legislative proposal to reform the funding system for public service media and
enhance their accountability and independence. The Government is developing new
legislation in several areas, including media market concentrations, media ownership
transparency and state advertising as well as new initiatives to financially support the media
industry and public-interest content, while the media regulator adopted new rules updating
the regulatory framework for services offering audiovisual content. Existing cooperation
initiatives continue to ensure the overall safety of journalists although threats against
reporters covering protests have increased. Work on the reform of the defamation regime is
ongoing, with a draft bill currently under discussion in Parliament.
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has new tasks but is concerned that extra
resources have not followed. The civic space in Ireland remains open. The Electoral
Commission is committed to a review of the Electoral Act 1997 which will encompass
consideration of the issues around funding for civil society organisations. Different initiatives
to promote a rule of law culture have been brought forward.
2
RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall, concerning the recommendations in the 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland has made:
• Some further progress on taking forward the necessary legislative work aimed at reducing
litigation costs to ensure effective access to justice, taking into account European
standards on disproportionate costs of litigation and their impact on access to courts.
• Some further progress on strengthening the existing ethics framework, including the
monitoring and enforcement capacity of the Standards in Public Office Commission, and
limited progress on strengthening and digitalising the asset declarations system.
• Some further progress on completing the reform of the Defamation Act to improve the
professional environment for journalists taking into account European standards on the
protection of journalists.
• Some progress on ensuring that rules or mechanisms are in place to provide funding for
public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit while
guaranteeing its independence.
• Some further progress on addressing legal obstacles related to access to funding for civil
society organisations, as part of the reform of the Electoral Act.
On this basis, and considering other developments that took place in the period of reference,
it is recommended to Ireland to:
• Take forward the legislative work aimed at reducing litigation costs to ensure effective
access to justice, taking into account European standards on disproportionate costs of
litigation and their impact on access to courts.
• Continue efforts to strengthen the existing ethics framework, including the monitoring
and enforcement capacity of the Standards in Public Office Commission, and to
strengthen and digitalise the asset declarations system.
• Complete the reform to provide funding for public service media that is appropriate for
the realisation of its public service remit while guaranteeing its independence.
• Finalise the reform of the Defamation Act to improve the professional environment for
journalists taking into account European standards on the protection of journalists.
• Continue ongoing efforts to address legal obstacles related to access to funding for civil
society organisations, as part of the reform of the Electoral Act.
3
I. JUSTICE SYSTEM1
Independence
The level of perceived judicial independence in Ireland continues to be high among the
general public and very high among companies. Overall, 72% of the general population
and 79% of companies perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly
or very good’ in 20252
. The perceived judicial independence among the general public
remains at the same level as in 2024 (72%), and has slightly decreased in comparison with
2021 (73%). The perceived judicial independence among companies has slightly increased in
comparison with 2024 (78%), and has increased in comparison with 2021 (76%).
The Judicial Appointments Commission was established and started its work. On 1
January 2025, the Judicial Appointments Commission Act 2023 came fully into force, and
the Judicial Appointments Commission took office3
. It has a key role in judicial appointments
and interviews of all judges applying for promotion. Once a judicial vacancy is published, the
Judicial Appointments Commission will consider the applications received, shortlist and
interview candidates and establish recommendations for appointment. The Government may
only nominate for appointment candidates who have been recommended by the Judicial
Appointments Commission. Appointment is made by the President of Ireland.
Quality
There was some further progress on the recommendation to reduce litigation costs as
new guidelines to set clear fee scales and a Civil Reform Bill are under preparation4.
Concerns on the issues of costs linked to litigation persist5
, and stakeholders underline that
the particularities of Ireland as a common law jurisdiction need to be considered in this
context6
. The 2025 Programme for Government commits to address the issue of litigation
costs7
and to take further steps to resolve cases outside court. Following the publication in
2024 of a report containing an independent examination of possible models to control
litigation costs8
, officials from the Department of Justice are engaging with and utilising the
data and learning emerging from the work of the Department of Environment, Climate and
Communications to develop a scale of fees for judicial review applicants in environmental
and planning law as a first/pilot step in developing options that can have more general
application9
. The Department of the Climate, Energy and Environment is leading on the
1
An overview of the institutional framework for all four pillars can be found here.
2
Figures 50 and 52, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard and Figures 49 and 51, 2023 EU Justice Scoreboard. The
level of perceived judicial independence is categorised as follows: very low (below 30% of respondents
perceive judicial independence as fairly good and very good); low (between 30-39%), average (between 40-
59%), high (between 60-75%), very high (above 75%).
3
As highlighted by previous Rule of Law Reports, although the composition of the Judicial Appointments
Commission remains unchanged and is not drawn in substantial part from the judiciary, the new Act
reduced political influence in the judicial appointment procedure.
4
The 2024 Rule of Law Report recommended to Ireland to “take forward the necessary legislative work
aimed at reducing litigation costs to ensure effective access to justice, taking into account European
standards on disproportionate costs of litigation and their impact on access to courts”.
5
The Irish Environmental Network (2025), written input, p. 12; country visit Ireland, ISME and Competition
and Consumer Protection Commission.
6
The Bar of Ireland (2025), written input, p. 16.
7
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 8.
8
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 6.
9
Irish Government (2025f), p. 2.
4
establishment of the scale of fees and an Environmental Legal Costs Financial Assistance
Mechanism, and these models have been legislated for in the newly enacted Planning and
Development Act 202410
. On this basis, the aim is to develop more policy options to reduce
litigation costs for businesses, individuals and the State, taking into account their impact on
the quality of services and the need to ensure access to justice and the efficiency of the legal
system11
. Other reforms to civil proceedings that will aim to reduce litigation costs include
amendments to the system of discovery in civil proceedings. A Civil Reform Bill is under
preparation, which aims to give effect to some of the recommendations contained in the
Report of the Review of the Administration of Civil Justice12
. On 19 September 2024, the
Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Rising Cost of Health-Related Claims
was published and a working group tasked with the implementation of its recommendations
was established. Overall, some further progress has been made on the recommendation on
reducing litigation costs to ensure effective access to justice.
A general review of the Civil Legal Aid scheme has been completed and a reform of the
criminal legal aid system is envisaged. An independent review group has concluded its
review of the Civil Legal Aid Scheme and the Department of Justice is currently examining
the outputs of that Review13
. Stakeholders continue to share concerns about the current civil
legal aid system, highlighting that progress on its review, including the publication of the
report on this matter, is urgently needed14
. Legal practitioners consider that the civil legal aid
system is under-resourced and unfit to properly ensure access to justice for the most
vulnerable citizens15
. However, over the last decade there has been a large increase in annual
investment for the Legal Aid Board, which is the statutory, independent body responsible for
the provision of civil legal aid and advice16
. During 2024, criminal barristers called for a
reform of the criminal legal aid system, including the determination of their fees17
. The 2025
Programme for Government commits to reform the operation of the criminal legal aid system
and fully restore criminal legal aid fees, and also to enact a Legal Aid Bill that would ensure
the assessment of financial means, including powers to restrict or facilitate recoupment of
legal aid. There has also been a large increase in investment in Criminal Legal Aid with the
budget allocation increasing by 91% or €42.4m between 2015 and 202518
.
Measures to improve access to justice are planned and an appropriate structure to
discuss questions concerning constitutional safeguards for the judiciary in connection
with employment conditions has not yet been established19. Ireland remains the Member
State with the lowest number of judges per capita20
. The Government has agreed to further
increase the number of judges by 57% in the period 2012-2025, which is over three times
10
Irish Government (2025f), p. 2.
11
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 8. In this context, the need to facilitate the resort to Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, as less costly and more flexible options, has been raised by Law
Society of Ireland, ISME and Chambers Ireland in the country visit to Ireland.
12
Country visit Ireland, Department of Justice.
13
Irish Government (2025f), p. 3.
14
Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025), p. 486.
15
The Bar of Ireland (2025), written input, p. 7; The Irish Environmental Network (2025), written input, p.
12; Country visit Ireland, Law Society of Ireland.
16
Annual funding for the Legal Aid Board has risen by 97%, or €31.7m, between 2015 and 2025. Irish
Government (2025f), p. 5.
17
The Bar of Ireland (2025), written input, pp. 7-8.
18
Irish Government (2025f), p. 3.
19
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 7.
20
2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, Figure 37 (number of judges per 100 000 inhabitants).
5
greater than the level of population growth over the same timeframe21
. The 2025 Programme
for Government provides for the appointment of 20 additional judges and a review of the
Courts Service and the Legal Services Regulatory Authority by 2026. On 13 May 2025,
Ireland signed the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of
Lawyer. The Bar of Ireland has underlined the need for an appropriate family law courts
infrastructure to be in place, to ensure successful implementation of the Family Courts Act
202422
. The Government has committed to publish an implementation plan for a new Family
Court system by 2026. Stakeholders have raised concerns about the shortage of judicial
resources23
and the need to address inadequate court facilities, particularly the accessibility of
buildings24
. The Courts Service Estates Strategy 2022-2025 aims to ensure that buildings and
facilities properly serve the needs of users while supporting the modernisation and
digitisation of the service25
. In September 2024, the Legal Services Regulatory Authority
(LSRA) published its “Breaking Down Barriers Implementation Plan” aimed at improving
equity of access and entry into the legal professions26
and the 2025 Programme for
Government includes addressing obstacles to become a solicitor or barrister. Evidence
gathered by the LRSA in preparing this plan pointed notably to economic and other early
career barriers for legal professionals affecting diversity and retention27
. Stakeholders28
have
also raised concerns about the lack of an appropriate structure to examine questions
concerning constitutional safeguards for the judiciary in connection with employment
conditions, which is a pending recommendation by the Group of States against Corruption
(GRECO)29
, and the effect of the lack of such a structure on judicial independence. The 2022
report of the independent Judicial Resources Working Group recommended the development
of explicit terms and conditions applying to judges as a matter of priority30
. In the context of
employment conditions and in particular remuneration, the Senior Posts Remuneration
Committee (SPRC), established in March 2024 and also covering the Judiciary, will review
particular senior roles following an instruction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and
Reform31
.
Further progress was made in the improvement of the digitalisation of justice, including
e-litigation. Despite progress, there is scope for development as regards digitalisation of
21
Irish Government (2025f), pp. 8-9.
22
The Bar of Ireland (2025), written input, p. 7.
23
Country visit Ireland, The Bar of Ireland, Law Society of Ireland and IEN.
24
Country visit Ireland, ICCL.
25
Irish Government (2025f), p. 3.
26
Concerns about the emergence of legal deserts in some regions in Ireland and the need to better address
legal training have been shared by Law Society in the country visit to Ireland.
27
LRSA (2024), p. 16.
28
Country visit Ireland, Chief Justice and AJI.
29
GRECO (2014), para. 137, finding that the constitutional protection providing that judges were exempt
from a pay reduction which applied to other public officials was revoked and amended; recommending that
an appropriate structure be established within the framework of which questions concerning constitutional
safeguards of the judiciary in connection with employment conditions are to be examined. In 2024, GRECO
welcomed that the report of the Judicial Planning Working Group was completed and a High-Level
Steering Group looking into the implementation was established but underlined that many questions still
remained open, concluding that the recommendation has been partially implemented (GRECO (2024a),
para. 24-29).
30
Irish Government (2025f), pp. 5-6.
31
Irish Government (2025f), pp. 5-6.
6
justice32
. The 2025 Government Programme announced possible legislative amendments to
ensure that the Courts and Legal System are digital, modern, cost-effective, and focused on
the victims’ needs. On 6 May 2025, the Government approved the drafting of a Criminal Law
and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in accordance with the General Scheme of the
Bill33
. The proposed Bill provides an enabling basis for remote hearings and electronic
documents in criminal proceedings and surrender/extradition proceedings, building on similar
reforms in civil proceedings as introduced by the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 2020. The implementation of a ten-year modernisation programme34
has
yielded positive results, including an increase of technology-enabled courtrooms, support for
remote attendance at hearings and fully remote hearings, a new digital jury system, digital
evidence display and digital audio recordings of proceedings. Following the 2023 rollout of
the Unified Case Management System in the High Court, it was also introduced in Circuit
Court Family Offices in 2024 and the deployment will continue into 202535
. From June 2025
online applications relating to Family Law matters in the Dublin Circuit Court will be
accepted via the Courts Service Portal36
. In 2024, the Courts Service launched an Open Data
Portal37
, as a central hub for the publication and sharing of Courts Service data. In December
2024 a new ICT Digital & Data Strategy has been published38
.
A follow-up to the report on the Offences Against the State Acts as regards the
operation of the Special Criminal Court remains to be decided. The Offences Against the
State Acts contain certain provisions on the operation of the Special Criminal Court. The
Group to review the Offences Against the State Acts published its final report in June 202339
,
recommending the Acts’ repeal in their entirety, while keeping some elements in replacement
legislation, including the establishment of a new non-jury court instead of the Special
Criminal Court. Stakeholders have called40
for the immediate abolition of the Special
Criminal Court, or alternatively, to strengthen the procedure of the Court to ensure respect of
the right to fair trial41
. According to its 2025 Programme, the Government will consider the
report on the Offences Against the State Acts, retain the Special Criminal Court and annually
review some related legal provisions.
Efficiency
Concerns persist regarding the length of proceedings and the need for a specific system
to regularly evaluate court performance based on defined indicators. In 2023, the
clearance rate for non-criminal cases was 81%, the lowest in the EU42
. There is no system to
regularly evaluate court performance based on defined indicators. Data on the length of
proceedings is still not systematically recorded in conformity with the methodology of the
32
2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, Figures 40-48, the room for improvement includes the use of digital
technology by courts and prosecution services, the courts electronic communication tools and the digital
solutions to conduct and follow court proceedings in criminal cases
33
General Scheme of the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025.
34
The Courts Service Long-Term Strategic Vision to 2030: Supporting Access to Justice in a modern, digital
Ireland.
35
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 15.
36
Irish Government (2025f), p. 7.
37
Country visit Ireland, The Courts Service.
38
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 16.
39
Department of Justice (2023a).
40
IHREC (2022), p. 33; Country visit Ireland, ICCL.
41
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, pp. 8-9.
42
2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, Figure 9.
7
Council of Europe and the European Commission for the efficiency of justice43
. According to
data on annual reports from the Courts Service, for the High Court, the average length of civil
proceedings in 2023 was 796 days, an increase of 63 days in comparison with 202244
. The
average length of proceedings for criminal cases increased in 2023 in some instances. The
length of proceedings at the Court of Appeal increased for civil cases (to 553 days in 2023
from 527 in 2022), while it decreased for criminal cases (to 426 days in 2023 from 461 in
2022). The average length of appeal proceedings in the Supreme Court decreased
significantly (to 329 days in 2023 from 434 in 2022). According to authorities, the collected
court data are being used for court management purposes, and a 2023 OECD study showed
room for improvement in this regard45
. The report of the Judicial Planning Working Group
recommended that the Courts Service adopts a comprehensive system to collect data and
monitor performance measures46
. The Courts Service continues working on the actions aimed
at improving the data that is made available on court activities and court proceedings47
.
An independent assessment process to implement the right established by the 2024 Act
on delays in court proceedings is under preparation. The Court Proceedings (Delays) Act
was enacted on 1 May 2024. The Act creates a statutory right to the conclusion of court
proceedings within a reasonable time, providing for a declaration, and where appropriate
compensation, in cases where people experience unjustified delays in the justice system. The
Act provides for the establishment of an independent assessment process, under the aegis of
the Department of Justice, to assess claims for breaches of the right contained in section 11 to
the conclusion of proceedings within reasonable time. Work is ongoing to implement the
assessment scheme, which is expected in the second half of 202548
. Commencement of the
Act will coincide with the scheme becoming operational49
.
II. ANTI-CORRUPTION FRAMEWORK
The perception among experts, citizens and business executives is that the level of
corruption in the public sector remains relatively low. In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions
Index by Transparency International, Ireland scores 77/100 and ranks sixth in the European
Union and tenth globally50
. This perception has improved over the past five years51
. The 2025
Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 63% of respondents consider corruption
widespread in their country (EU average 69%) and 23% of respondents feel personally
affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average 30%). As regards businesses, 30% of
companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 63%) and 8% consider that
corruption is a problem when doing business (EU average 35%). Furthermore, 29% of
respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter people from corrupt
43
CEPEJ data feed the EU Justice Scoreboard.
44
The Courts Service (2024), pp. 116-117.
45
This limited use does not provide the necessary data for the effective handling and future planning of
resources and staff allocation. OECD (2023), p. 210.
46
Department of Justice (2023b).
47
Country visit Ireland, The Courts Service.
48
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 18.
49
Irish Government (2025f), p. 7.
50
The level of perceived corruption is categorised as follows: low (above 79); relatively low (scores between
79-60), relatively high (scores between 59-50), high (scores below 50).
51
In 2020, the score was 72, while, in 2024, the score is 77. The score significantly increased/decreased when
it changes more than five points; improved/deteriorated (changes between 4-5 points); has been relatively
stable (changes from 1-3 points) in the last five years.
8
practices (EU average 36%), while 25% of companies believe that people and businesses
caught for bribing a senior official are appropriately punished (EU average 33%)52
.
The publication of the draft multi-annual strategy to tackle corruption has been
delayed. Work on the strategy, developed by the Advisory Council against Economic Crime
and Corruption, was set up in 2022 but remains ongoing53
. A public consultation in relation
to the Strategy was organised by the Department of Justice in late 202454
. According to the
timeline, a first draft was expected by early 202555
. The draft strategy would then be
submitted for approval to the Government. Transparency International has raised concerns
about the delay and has also asked for an annual report on the implementation of the
strategy56
.
While the cooperation among responsible authorities is smooth, insufficient resources
and specialisation remain a challenge for investigating and prosecuting corruption
cases. The investigation of corruption offences is a shared task within the national police,
including the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) and its specialised Anti-
Bribery and Corruption Unit (ABCU). As already reported in previous years57
, the available
resources to effectively investigate corruption cases are insufficient. The current capacities of
the GNECB and ABCU are still below the planned staffing, and internal rules hinder the
amount of Gardai that could be allocated/recruited in the near future58
. The police also
considers the number of allocated forensic accountants as insufficient for its investigative
tasks59
. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) is responsible for
prosecuting corruption offences and its Special Financial Crime Unit (SFU) deals with cases
of high complexity60
. The prosecution underlines a lack of resources to deal with increasing
volumes of digital data in dealing with financial crimes, including forensic accountants61
. The
Economic Crime Forum62
is currently implementing actions under the 2021 implementation
52
Data from special Eurobarometer 561 (2025). Flash Eurobarometer 557 (2025).
53
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, pp. 11-12. The ”Hamilton review“ by the Department of Justice (2020)
recommended the development and approval of a multi-annual strategy and an accompanying action plan
by Q1 2022. The drafting was then delayed to 2023, 2024 and now to 2025.
54
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 38. Country visit Ireland, Advisory Council and Department of
Justice.
55
Country visit Ireland, Advisory Council and Department of Justice.
56
Country visit Ireland, Transparency International Ireland. Transparency International calls for that
implementation report of the Strategy to include citizens’ contributions.
57
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 12.
58
Country visit Ireland, GNECB. Irish government (2025f), p.15. In February 2022, 125 staff were allocated
to the GNECB. As of 2025, GNECB has 115 agents, 23 more than in 2024, and 2 sergeants and 2 Gardai
are attached to the ABCU. As of May 2025, the ABCU are working on 12 active investigations with an
additional ten cases under assessment. Three investigations concern foreign bribery of foreign public
officials, and two foreign bribery investigations remain under assessment for criminal offences. In 2025
one foreign bribery investigation was closed due to insufficient evidence. The Hamilton Review
recommended to ensure adequate resources to the GNECB. See Recommendation n. 4.
59
Country visit Ireland, GNECB. In order to provide the police with a higher level of specialisation, 4 forensic
accountants are allocated to the Garda Organisation. The recruitment of 3 more forensic accountants is
planned in 2025.
60
Country visit Ireland, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Directing Division consists of
prosecutors who examine criminal investigation files and decide whether or not to take a prosecution, and
whether a prosecution commenced by An Garda Síochána should be maintained.
61
Country visit Ireland, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions Office. These issues were already
underlined in the 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 13.
62
The Economic Crime Forum of senior representatives reports to the Advisory Council, with the aim of
facilitating greater inter-agency coordination, collaboration and information sharing and met five times in
9
plan of the Hamilton Review, including those in relation to information sharing between
public and private stakeholders63
. The Economic Crime Forum has identified specific
trainings that the national police may be able to provide, although it faces increasing
challenges in delivering such trainings due to a lack of resources64
. Cooperation between the
Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) and the Garda Síochána is established through a
Memorandum of Understanding, which continues to work well65
. The legislative changes
required to facilitate Ireland’s cooperation with the EPPO as a non-participating Member
State are fully operational, as of 1 November 2023. This was done by way of amendments to
the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Act 2008. Ireland’s co-operation with the EPPO as a
non-participating Member State is operational and working well66
. An inter-agency group is
exploring the implications of Ireland joining the EPPO. While a formal government decision
is awaited on this issue, the 2025 Programme for Government contains a commitment to
signing up to the EPPO67
.
Challenges regarding cooperation with third countries remain. In 2023, an amendment
removed the requirement for an act of corruption to be an offence under the law of the
specific place where it was perpetrated (“double criminality”)68
. The police consider that this
change will assist prosecutions of foreign corruption69
. As reported last year, the Anti-Bribery
and Corruption Unit reiterates the difficulty in investigating foreign bribery because of lack
of cooperation with third countries through mutual legal assistance70
. In 2024 three foreign
bribery investigations were closed due to prosecutions in other jurisidictions or insufficient
evidence71
.
Awareness-raising and training measures on integrity improved, and new structures
and processes are being set up to strengthen integrity and to enhance accountability of
the police. The anti-corruption unit of the national police, the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit
(GACU), is tasked with investigating and preventing corruption within the police72
. The
GACU is following up on the recommendations of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate Report to
better develop internal anti-corruption policies73
and delivers an updated learning programme
and briefings74
. A law adopted on 7 February 202475
provides for the establishment of a new
2024. Irish Government (2025a), written input p. 22. 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 11. Country visit
Ireland, Department of Justice.
63
Country visit Ireland, Advisory Council.
64
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 14.; Country visit Ireland, GNECB.
65
CEA (2022). The Memorandum has been reviewed in 2024. Country visit Ireland, CEA.
66
Irish Government (2025f), p.14. Parliamentary question (2025).
67
Irish Government (2025c), p. 120.
68
In November 2023, the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act was enacted, amending section 12
of the Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Act 2018. The Phase 4 evaluation visit to Ireland of the
OECD Working Group on Bribery was supposed to take place in late 2025 but has been postponed to 2027-
2028.
69
Country visit Ireland, GNECB.
70
Country visit Ireland, GNECB. 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 14.
71
Country visit Ireland, GNECB.
72
Country visit Ireland, Department of Justice. Irish Government (2025f), p. 14. The total number of Garda
Personnel attached to the GACU is currently 37 (33 Sworn Members, four Garda Staff).
73
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 15.
74
The briefings include preventative practices and the necessity for all police personnel to speak up and report
wrongdoing. GACU (2025), written input, p. 5. Alongside the Garda Ethics & Cultural Bureau, the GACU
distributes a quarterly newsletter which provides a summary of criminal and disciplinary investigations in
respect of Garda personnel. The focus is on improving policing practice and enhancing professional
conduct. Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 50.
10
Policing and Community Safety Authority which will merge the functions of the Policing
Authority and the inspection function of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate76
. In addition, this
law establishes a new Office of the Police Ombudsman (Fiosrú), which replaced and will
strengthen the mandate of the former Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).
New recruitments and streamlined processes are under implementation77
and draft secondary
regulations and budgetary matters are currently being finalised78
.
There has been some further progress in the strengthening of the ethics framework79
.
Ireland presented a review study of the existing statutory framework for Ethics in Public
Office in 202380
. Following the review, the Government tasked the Department of Public
Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform with preparing a legislative
draft, which is reported to be at an advanced stage of preparation81
. The main points to be
covered under the legislative draft are expected to include strengthening the legal obligations
on public officials to disclose actual and potential conflicts of interest, and the power of the
Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO)82
. Civil society organisations urged the new
government to strengthen the ethics framework83
. The Programme for Government 202584
contained a renewed commitment to update the ethics legislation, and the Government
included the ethics reform bill in its programme of legislation for priority drafting in the
summer 2025 session of the Parliament85
. Given the state of play, there has been some further
progress on the implementation of this part of the recommendation made in the previous
years.
There has been limited progress in the strengthening and digitalisation of asset
declarations86
. Rules on asset and interest declarations apply to public office holders,
members of Parliament and a range of other public officials87
under the Ethics Acts88
. SIPO is
responsible for delivering guidelines, advice, and investigating possible contraventions.
Declarations of liabilities are currently not presented in an accessible format89
. The
75
Irish Government (2025b), additional input. Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2023, Act 1 of
2024. S.I. No. 108/2025 - Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 (Establishment Day) Order
2025.
76
2023 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 10.
77
Country visit Ireland, Office of the Police Ombudsman (Fiosrú)/GSOC.
78
Irish Government (2025b), additional input. These draft Regulations are currently being finalised. See also
2024 Rule of Law report, Ireland, p. 15.
79
The 2024 Rule of Law report recommended to Ireland to "strengthen and digitalise the existing ethics
framework, including the monitoring and enforcement capacity of the Standards in Public Office
Commission”.
80
2023 Rule of Law report, Ireland, pp. 12-13.
81
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 19.
82
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 19.
83
Country visit Ireland, Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Transparency International Ireland. Transparency
International Ireland (2025), written input, p. 10.
84
Irish Government (2025c), p. 149.
85
Irish Government (2025d), p. 13.
86
The 2024 Rule of Law report recommended to Ireland to “strengthen and digitalise the existing ethics
framework, on asset declarations”.
87
2024 Rule of Law report, Ireland, pp. 16-17. Disclosure obligations arise for the following categories:
Oireachtas; Office Holders; Civil Service (designated positions); public bodies (designated directorships
and designated positions) and special advisers.
88
The Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 are cited together as the
Ethics Acts. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has responsibility for these Acts.
89
Country visit Ireland, SIPO. 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 16; GRECO (2024b), p. 8.
11
digitalisation of declarations, which is expected to be included in the bill revising the Ethics
framework, would ensure a streamlined process for the submission of periodic statements of
interests, easier processing by SIPO and access by civil society, as well as support the
handling of complaints and investigations procedures90
. Civil society considers that the
statements should include both assets and liabilities91
. The digitalisation of these declarations
would be optional92
. As progress on strengthening the asset disclosures, as well as their
digitalisation, depend on the adoption of the Ethics bill93
, with legislative drafting planned in
the summer of 2025, limited progress was made on the implementation of this part of the
recommendation.
Amendments to the lobbying regulation from 2024 have largely been implemented.
Legislative amendments on lobbying entered into force in January 2024 while the new
sanctions started applying on 1 June 202494
. The lobbying register was extended as planned
by Statutory Instrument95
in September 2024, taking effect on 1 January 2025, so that the
lobbying of senior officials in high-level bodies will now be reported on the same basis as for
central and local government96
. The law also includes administrative financial sanctions for
certain contraventions, including for breaches of the cooling-off provision97
, which has also
been extended98
. SIPO conducted awareness raising activities with lobbyists and Designated
Public Officials (DPOs) prior to the entry into force of these new sanctions99
. While SIPO
itself did not consider its resources inadequate100
, there is some concern among stakeholders
in this regard101
. As reported last year, civil society organisations welcome the legislative
changes, while stressing the need for further reforms to address the exclusion of some
relevant agencies from the register102
.
The Electoral Commission has launched a review of the political party financing
framework and is expected to publish recommendations in 2025. Political party financing
is regulated under the Electoral Act, applicable since 1997. The Electoral Commission is
90
Country visit Ireland, Transparency International Ireland and Irish Council for Civil Liberties. 2024 Rule of
Law report, Ireland, p. 17.
91
Country visit Ireland, Transparency International Ireland.
92
2024 Rule of Law report, Ireland, p. 17. The reform aims to extend disclosure obligations in respect of
ministers, senior advisors and officials who would be obliged to disclose significant liabilities above EUR
50 000.
93
Country visit Ireland, Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform. 2024 Rule of Law
Report, Ireland, pp. 16-17.
94
As of yet, the application of these sanctions to any individual or organisation has not been required. Irish
Government (2025), additional input. 2024 Rule of Law report, Ireland, p. 18.
95
S.I. No. 424/2024 - Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 (Designated Public Officials) Regulations 2024.
96
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 24.
97
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 18, Fn. 144 Section 22 of the 2015 Act set out restrictions on post-
term employment as a lobbyist. With the 2023 Act, a breach of the cooling-off period, or lobbying during
that period without SIPO’s consent, is a “relevant contravention”.
98
The post term employment restrictions apply to Ministers, Ministers of State, and Special Advisers, and
public servants prescribed as a Designated Public Official (DPO). In 2024, cooling off provisions have been
extended to 190 new DPOs in 62 additional public bodies.
99
All public bodies with DPOs were notified of the Amendment Act in advance of the commencement of
administrative sanctions system on 1 June 2024. Irish Government (2025b), additional input.
100
Country visit Ireland, SIPO.
101
Irish Council for Civil Liberties (2025), written input, p. 25.
102
Transparency International Ireland, Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Irish Environmental Network
(2025), written inputs, p. 12, p. 25 and p. 17 respectively. Country visit Ireland, Irish Environmental
Network.
12
working on a review of this Act103
. In the context of this review, there are ongoing
discussions about whether the Electoral Commission should take over some of the current
functions attributed to SIPO with regard to political party financing104
, which should be
finalised by mid-2025105
. This review should be followed by a report including
recommendations, which would form the basis of new legislation, as mentioned in the
Programme for Government106
. As reported last year, civil society has concerns about the
current format of the declarations of donations to political parties which makes it difficult to
access information107
.
Cooperation between government and civil society in protecting whistleblowers
continues and the first report on whistleblower data since the amended legislation
entered into force shows an increase in disclosures. The Protected Disclosures
(Amendment) Act 2022 entered into force in 2023. In January 2025, the Ministry for Public
Expenditure published its first report on 2023 data108
coming from public bodies, prescribed
persons109
and the newly established Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner.
Some civil society organisations acknowledge a notable increase in whistleblower reports
since the adoption of the Amendment Act110
. Moreover, funding for Transparency
International Ireland (TII) to offer information and support to whistleblowers remains
stable111
, while the organisation advocates for a reward for whistleblowers, to encourage
them to speak112
.
New legislation aims to mitigate corruption risks in planning and development sectors,
identified as high-risk areas for corruption. Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the
EU shows that 0% of companies in Ireland (EU average 25%) think that corruption has
prevented them from winning a public tender or a public procurement contract in practice in
the last three years113
. 80% of businesses perceive the level of independence of the public
procurement review body (High Court) as very or fairly good when it is reviewing public
103
Electoral Act 1997. See 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 19, Fn. 148 and 150.
104
SIPO has supervisory roles under the Electoral Act 1997 (as amended) and the Oireachtas (Ministerial and
Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act 2014. The Electoral Act 1997 regulates political financing,
including political donations and election expenses; the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary
Activities) (Amendment) Act 2014 regulates expenditure of public funds to political parties and
independents.
105
Irish Government (2025b), additional input.
106
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 51. Research will focus on a wide range of themes, including
reducing voting age or voting from abroad. Country visit Ireland, Department of Housing, Local
Government and Heritage. Irish Government (2025c), p. 149.
107
Country visit Ireland, Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Transparency International Ireland. 2024 Rule of
Law report, Ireland, p. 19.
108
Over 1 100 reports of wrongdoing were submitted, of which 734 were deemed to require further follow-up
and 211 were related to breaches of EU law. Irish Government (2025e).
109
Under the Act, the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP delivery and Reform has the power to designate
competent authorities as prescribed persons. The number of prescribed persons authorised to receive
protected disclosures is 108.
110
Transparency International Ireland (2025), written input, p. 13.
111
Irish Government (2025b), additional input. Funding has been increased from EUR 285 000 in 2022 to
EUR 368 500 in 2025 (same as 2024). TII also completed their second Integrity at Work Survey which will
be published in 2025.
112
Country visit Ireland, Transparency International Ireland.
113
Flash Eurobarometer 557 on Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU (2025). This is 25
percentage points below the EU average.
13
procurement cases114
. The Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard on access to
public procurement in Ireland reports 16% of single bids for 2023 (EU average 29%). A new
Planning and Development Act was enacted on 17 October 2024115
. Civil society
organisations are still concerned about its potential consequences, focusing on concerns about
transparency and the implications for corruption116
, given that planning is seen as a high-risk
area117
. To address transparency issues, the 2024 Act also contains measures to tackle abuse
of the planning system, such as dealing with false planning submissions and appeals118
. Other
sectors which have been identified by stakeholders as primary areas of risk for corruption are
public and private procurement, public utilities and natural resources, match-fixing119
and the
financial sector120
.
III. MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM
The media regulator continues to function independently. The legislation entrusts
Coimisiún na Meán (the Media Commission) with the regulation of broadcasters, video-on-
demand providers and online platforms and ensures that it is functionally autonomous and
independent in the performance of its regulatory competence121
. In 2024 the Media
Commission was designated as one of the national public authorities tasked with overseeing
the protection of fundamental rights in the context of artificial intelligence, in line with the
requirements of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). The Media Commission also
expects to be entrusted with further functions and tasks with the implementation of the
European Media Freedom Act (EMFA)122
. Since 2025, a self-financing system based on
levies that the Media Commission collects from the services operating under its regulatory
remit ensures its financial stability and independence123
.
There has been some progress on the recommendation related to the governance and
funding framework for public service media124. In October 2024, the Government
approved the General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill (the General
114
Figure 59, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard.
115
The Act includes a number of measures to enhance transparency in the planning sector with a view to
prevent corruption and conflict of interests. Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 33.
116
Irish Environmental Network (2025), written input, pp. 19-29. Concerns are related to the appointment and
role of the Governing Board of the Planning Commission (the “An Bord Pleanála”, that will be renamed
“Coimisiún Pleanála”) and of the Planning Commissioners and Chief Planning Commissioner.
117
Country visit Ireland, Advisory Council. Transparency International Ireland (2025), written input, p. 14.
118
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 39.
119
Country visit Ireland, GNECB. Irish Government (2025a), written input, pp. 27-34. Irish Government
(2025b), additional input. Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC, 2025), written input,
pp. 2-3.
120
Transparency International Ireland (2025), written input, pp. 14-15.
121
Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022, part 3; the MPM 2025 considers the independence and
effectiveness of national regulatory authorities to be at a very low risk, given the robust institutional
architecture on which the Media Commission can rely, Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), pp. 13 and 16-17.
122
In particular, it is expected that the Media Commission will take responsibility in the area of media market
concentrations, transparency of media ownership, state advertising, audience measurement and right to
customise the media offering, Country visit Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán.
123
From January 2024 to December 2024, the Media Commission also increased its staff from 79 to 200 in
order to carry out its extensive functions. A request from the Media Commission to be equipped with an
additional 100 staff is currently under consideration by the Government, Irish Government (2025a), written
input, p. 43; Country visit Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán.
124
The 2024 Rule of Law Report recommended to Ireland to “ensure that rules or mechanisms are in place to
provide funding for public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit
while guaranteeing its independence”.
14
Scheme)125
, with a view to reforming the governance and funding system of the public
service media126
. The General Scheme aims to increase independent governance of public
service media and provides that the Director-Generals of public service broadcasters are to be
recruited through a public selection process and appointed by the management board127
,
without the involvement of the Government. The General Scheme also proposes to upgrade
public service media’s funding system by entrusting Coimisiún na Meán (Media
Commission) with enhanced monitoring and assessment functions. In particular, the Media
Commission would be required, every three years, to carry out a review of the adequacy of
public service media’s funding, and would be able to make recommendations to the
Government on the level of public funding deemed necessary for the fulfilment of their
public service remit. The Government would be required to respond to such
recommendations128
. Overall, stakeholders considered the General Scheme a positive
development for increasing public service media’s accountability and independent
governance129
. At the same time, there was dissatisfaction130
with the Government’s decision
to maintain the TV licence fee funding model131
. Some stakeholders also noted that, although
required to respond to the Media Commission recommendations on funding, the Government
was not also obliged to follow them132
, as well as the potential impact that the new funding
framework could have on the public service broadcasters’ operations133
. There has thus been
some progress in relation to the 2024 recommendation.
New legislation to address media market concentrations, transparency of media
ownership and state advertising as well as new funding initiatives are under
development while the regulatory framework for the audiovisual media market has
been recently updated. Public access to information on media ownership continues to be
facilitated through the Mediaownership.ie database and the Media Ownership Monitor
Ireland project134
. A legislative proposal is under preparation to develop and expand a
national media ownership database in line with the relevant requirements on media ownership
125
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (2024).
126
The General Scheme was further revised in April 2025 and the legislative process before the Parliament
will commence once Government finalizes the formal drafting of the Bill, Department of Tourism, Culture,
Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (2025).
127
Irish Government (2025a), written input, pp. 44-45.
128
The Media Commission will also carry out a parallel annual review of the yearly performance of RTÉ and
TG4 and assess the appropriateness of their public funding, with the possibility to recommend adjustments
for the current and following years, Irish Government (2025a), written input, pp. 41-42; Country visit
Ireland, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
129
Country visit Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, RTÉ, and National Union of Journalists.
130
Country visit Ireland, National Union of Journalists; Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025), p. 500.
131
Although the Government committed to consider offsetting - by means of direct exchequer funding – the
possible gaps between the amount of licence fee collected and the minimum level of funding required for
RTÉ , the National Union of Journalists consider that the TV licence fee funding model is no longer fit for
purpose and fails to ensure financial stability of public service media in the long term. In this light, they
would have preferred that the General Scheme had entailed moving to a model entirely based on direct
exchequer funding from the Government, Country visit Ireland, National Union of Journalists.
132
Country visit Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán and RTÉ.
133
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), pp. 5, 8, 10, 17, and 30; in particular, representatives from RTÉ indicated
that under the new funding framework public service broadcasters would be subject to a high amount of
burdensome reporting obligations. Similarly, representatives from RTÉ also indicated that the correlation
between the funding and their performance could also pose risks for their functional independence, Country
visit Ireland, RTÉ.
134
These two initiatives were launched in 2020 and 2023 respectively and are both financially supported by the
Media Commission, 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, pp. 23-24.
15
transparency set out in the EMFA135
. The legislative proposal also aims to revise the existing
media market concentration regime in view of the new framework introduced by the
EMFA136
. The lack of specific rules regulating the allocation of state advertising to the
media, which is carried out under the general framework for public procurement, affects the
clarity regarding the distribution and placement of advertisements to individual media
outlets137
. In this respect, the Government is preparing new legislation to establish a
framework for the allocation of state advertising and implement the relevant fairness and
transparency requirements foreseen by the EMFA138
. The Government also allocated funding
to support the media sector and public-interest media content through a range of schemes
administered by Coimisiún na Meán (the Media Commission)139
. In 2024, as part of the
transposition of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), the Media
Commission adopted several regulatory instruments which updated the regulatory framework
for services offering audiovisual content140
.
Existing cooperation initiatives continue to ensure the overall safety of journalists
although an increase in threats against reporters covering protests raises concerns. The
ongoing cooperation between the national police and media stakeholders in the context of the
Media Engagement Group initiative (the MEG) continues to offer an effective tool for a safe
environment for journalists in Ireland141
. The MEG, monitors trends and issues related to
media professionals’ safety, offers dedicated safety seminars and briefings to media
organisations and provides media personnel and media organisations with a reporting
mechanism allowing them to inform the national police about concerns or incidents through a
single point of contact142
. In 2024 a total of 25 incidents were reported to the MEG and
criminal investigations were opened on several cases143
. Since the 2024 Rule of Law Report,
no new alerts have been recorded on the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the
protection of journalism and safety of journalists144
nor by the Mapping Media Freedom
platform145
However, stakeholders expressed concerns about the safety of reporters covering
protests as they are increasingly subject to threats146
.
135
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 45.
136
Irish Government (2025f), p. 1.
137
2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 25; Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), pp. 8, 10, 26, and 27-28.
138
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 44.
139
EUR 16 million. Among these schemes that are being rolled out in phases, two – the Digital Transformation
Scheme and the News Reporting Scheme – are expected to be rolled out by the end of 2025 whereas two
other schemes – the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme and the Courts Reporting Scheme – are already in
operation as pilots. A total of EUR 5.7 million was allocated to 102 successful applicants following a
competitive and independent assessment process, Country visit Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán and
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media; Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 28.
140
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 6. These regulatory instruments include the Audiovisual On-Demand
Media Service Code & Rules and the Broadcasting Codes and Rules, which updated the rules for on-
demand media services and broadcasters in several areas, such as audiovisual commercial communications,
accessibility matters and protection from audiovisual harmful content, Country visit Ireland, Coimisiún na
Meán.
141
Country visit Ireland, National Union of Journalists; Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025), p. 502.
142
Irish Government (2025a), written input, pp. 45-46.
143
Among the incidents reported, 10 related to cases of online abuses, threats and intimidations and five to
cases of physical abuses, threats and intimidations, Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 46.
144
Council of Europe, Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists (2025).
145
Mapping Media Freedom, Ireland country profile.
146
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), country report for Ireland, p. 16; Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025),
p. 501-; Country visit Ireland, National Union of Journalists and Irish Council for Civil Liberties. The
16
There has been some further progress towards completion of the reform of the
defamation regime, which is currently under consideration in the Dáil (Parliament)147.
In August 2024 the Government published the Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 (the
Bill)148
. The Bill is intended to reform the defamation regime in Ireland and to introduce
safeguards countering strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs)149
. The Bill
also foresees the abolition of juries in High Court defamation cases. Although the main
purpose of the abolition is to reduce the risks of disproportionately high damages being
awarded, some stakeholders expressed concerns in light of the role played by juries in
ensuring the involvement of the general public in determining matters related to damage to
reputation and freedom of expression150
. The Bill had lapsed following the November 2024
Irish elections151
, but was reintroduced to Parliament by the new Government in February
2025 and included as a priority item in the 2025 Programme for Government152
. Considering
these developments, there has been some further progress in relation to this recommendation.
IV. OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has been entrusted with
new tasks, but is concerned that it lacks the resources to cover these. IHREC has
continued its activities, focusing on five strategic priorities in 2023: economic equality,
justice, respect and recognition, futureproofing, and public sector duty153
. According to
IHREC, as Ireland’s National Human Rights Institution and National Equality Body, it is
being attributed new tasks, without sufficient resources to respond to all challenges, which
could also entail reputational risks154
. IHREC has reported structural problems of access to
justice for some vulnerable groups, including disabled people.
On 1 January 2025, Ireland had 2 leading judgments of the European Court of Human
Rights pending implementation, the same number as the previous year155. At that time,
Ireland had no leading judgments from the past 10 years that remained pending as the only
two pending judgments were over 10 years old. The average time that the judgments had
been pending implementation was 12 years and 7 months (compared to 11 years and 7
months in 2024)156
. The oldest leading judgment, pending implementation for 15 years,
concerns the failure to ensure the timely trial of a criminal case which violated the applicant’s
National Union of Journalists also stressed that an increasing tendency of the police to seize reporters’
photos of public riot events creates further risks for the safety of journalists. In particular, journalists are
more exposed to harassment and threats from protesters, who tend to identify them as ‘facilitators’ of the
police. This trend is considered to affect also public interest journalism at large, as some media outlets
decided not to cover certain protests in order not to put at risk the physical well-being of their journalists,
Country visit Ireland, National Union of Journalists.
147
The 2024 Rule of Law Report recommended Ireland to “[c]omplete the reform of the Defamation Act to
improve the professional environment for journalists taking into account European standards on the
protection of journalists”.
148
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 41.
149
Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 13.
150
Country visit Ireland, Irish Council for Civil Liberties; the Bar of Ireland (2025), written input, p. 17; Civil
Liberties Union for Europe (2025), p. 481.
151
The Bar of Ireland (2025), written input, p. 17.
152
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 41; Irish Government (2025c), p. 134; (2025d).
153
IHREC (2024), p. 10.
154
Country visit Ireland, IHREC.
155
For an explanation of the supervision process, see the website of the Council of Europe.
156
All figures calculated by the European Implementation Network (EIN) and based on the number of cases
that are considered pending at the annual cut-off date of 1 January 2025. EIN (2025), written input, p. 5.
17
right to a fair trial within a reasonable time157
. The right provided for in the Court
Proceedings (Delays) Act 2024 mentioned earlier in this chapter, will implement this
judgment once commenced. As regards the respect of payment deadlines, on 31 December
2024 there was no case awaiting confirmation of payments (the same as in 2023)158
. On 16
June 2025, the number of leading judgments pending implementation had remained two159
.
Around eight in ten companies perceive the level of investment protection, a key
element for the single market, as very high in Ireland. 83% of companies are very to fairly
confident that investments are protected by law and courts160
. Stakeholders confirmed that
they do not see an issue with investment protection in Ireland. 75% of companies perceive the
level of independence of the national competition authority (the Commission for Competition
and Consumer Protection) as very or fairly good161
. A limited number of judicial mechanisms
are in place at the level of the Supreme Court to ensure the implementation of administrative
court judgments, which include the possibility to quash administrative decisions for
continued non-compliance with the court’s instructions to officials. However, these
mechanisms do not include fines for responsible officials for non-compliance, the possibility
to substitute the annulled administrative act, or direct enforcements measures162
.
Different initiatives aimed at fostering a rule of law culture have been taken forward. In
2024, the Department of Foreign Affairs established the EU Enlargement and European
Fundamental Values (EEFV) Fund to support the implementation of eligible projects and
activities in Member States, enlargement countries and through the Council of Europe163
. The
objective of the EEFV Fund is to support candidate countries in their preparation for their
accession to the EU and to promote and protect European fundamental values, including the
rule of law. Moreover, initiatives have been developed to ensure the promotion of a rule of
law culture at higher education level.
Some further progress was made on the recommendation to address legal obstacles
related to access to funding for civil society organisations164. The civic space in Ireland
remains open165
. As in previous years, civil society organisations have raised concerns about
the impact of the legal prohibition under the Electoral Act to receive donations above a
certain threshold for ‘political purposes’ or from foreign donors166
. Stakeholders have
expressed disappointment that the long-promised review of the 1997 Electoral Act to address
157
Judgment of the ECtHR, 31333/06, McFarlane v. Ireland, pending implementation since 2010.
158
Council of Europe (2025), p. 157.
159
Data according to the online database of the Council of Europe (HUDOC).
160
2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, Figure 54. Only 8% of the surveyed investors perceive the frequent changes in
legislation or concerns about the quality of the law-making process, and the quality, efficiency or
independence of justice, as reasons for the lack of confidence in investment protection.
161
2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, Figure 60.
162
2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, Figure 49. The data presented reflects exclusively the mechanisms in place at
the level of the highest administrative jurisdictions; the same or other mechanisms may be in place at lower
instance administrative courts.
163
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 60.
164
The 2024 Rule of Law Report recommended Ireland to “further continue efforts to address legal obstacles
related to access to funding for civil society organisations, as part of the reform of the Electoral Act”.
165
Rating by CIVICUS; ratings are on a five-category scale defined as: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed
and closed.
166
Under the Electoral Act 1997, donations may be received by third parties up to a limit of EUR 2500 from a
donor in any given calendar year. SIPO has interpreted the relevant legislation as also comprising certain
activities, carried out by civil society organisations, such as advocacy work including outside electoral
periods.
18
restrictions on civil society funding has not yet materialised167
. At the request of the
Government, work is well advanced at the Electoral Commission on a review of the 1997
Electoral Act, including a detailed examination of the legal obstacles related to access to
funding for civil society organisations168
. A report with recommendations is expected to be
published in the second half of 2025. Overall, some further progress has been made on the
2024 recommendation.
167
Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025), p. 482 and Civil Society Europe (2025), written input, p. 5.
168
Irish Government (2025a), written input, p. 51. The review is a priority for 2025.
19
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order*
* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2025 Rule of Law report
can be found at https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en
Bar of Ireland (2025), Contribution from the Bar of Ireland for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (2025), Media pluralism monitor 2025 – country
report on Ireland, https://cmpf.eui.eu/projects/media-pluralism-monitor/
Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025), Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025 – Ireland,
https://www.liberties.eu/f/vdxw3e
Civil Society Europe (2025), Joint Civil Society Contribution on Civic Space to the 2025 Annual Rule
of Law Report.
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (2025), Contribution from the Competition and
Consumer Protection Commission for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
Corporate Enforcement Authority (2022), Memorandum of understanding between the director of
corporate enforcement and an garda síochána,
https://cea.gov.ie/Portals/0/Documents/CEA_AGS_MoU_FINAL_%20for_website.pdf.
Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists (2025),
Ireland, https://fom.coe.int/en/pays/detail/11709528.
Courts Service (2024), Annual Report 2023, https://www.courts.ie/acc/alfresco/2b552955-e0f9-41a2-
80e7-c526d24651e2/Courts%20Service%20Annual%20Report%202023.pdf/pdf/1.
Courts Service (2020), The Courts Service Long-Term Strategic Vision to 2030: Supporting Access to
Justice in a modern, digital Ireland, https://www.courts.ie/acc/alfresco/b1bf7300-e162-46cd-995e-
abc042799b87/Strategic%20Vision%202030.pdf/pdf#view=fitH
Department of Justice (2020), Review of structures and strategies to prevent, investigate and penalise
economic crime and corruption, https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/review-group-report-on-
structures-and-strategies-to-prevent-investigate-and-penalise-e.pdf.
Department of Justice (2021), Hamilton Review Group Implementation Plan,
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/hamilton-review-group-implementation-plan.pdf.
Department of Justice (2023a), Offences against the State acts - Independent review group’s reports,
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice/publications/offences-against-the-state-act-independent-
review-groups-reports/
Department of Justice (2023b), Report of the judicial planning working group,
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice/publications/report-of-the-judicial-planning-working-
group/.
Department of the Taoiseach (2025a), Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future,
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/programme-for-government-securing-irelands-future.pdf.
Department of the Taoiseach (2025b), Spring 2025 Government Legislation Programme,
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/government-legislation-programme-spring-2025.pdf.
20
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (2024), Press Release - Minister
Martin announces Government approval of the General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment)
Bill, https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/press-
releases/minister-martin-announces-government-approval-of-the-general-scheme-of-the-broadcasting-
amendment-bill/.
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (2025), Press Release - No levy to
be introduced without Minister O’Donovan’s agreement, https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-
tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/press-releases/no-levy-to-be-introduced-without-
minister-odonovans-
agreement/#:~:text=Minister%20for%20Arts%2C%20Media%2C%20Communications%2C%20Cult
ure%20and%20Sport%2C,for%20greater%20levels%20of%20funding%20for%20independent%20pr
oducers.
Directorate-General for Communication (2025), Flash Eurobarometer 557 on businesses’ attitudes
towards corruption in the EU.
Directorate-General for Communication (2025), Special Eurobarometer 561 on citizens’ attitudes
towards corruption in the EU.
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Mapping Media Freedom, Ireland country profile,
https://www.mappingmediafreedom.org/category/ireland/.
European Commission (2024), 2024 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation
in Ireland.
European Commission (2024), 2024 EU Justice Scoreboard.
European Commission (2024), 2023 Single Market and Competitiveness Scoreboard.
European Commission (2025), 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard.
European Court of Human Rights, Judgment of 10 September 2010, McFarlane v. Ireland, 31333/06.
European Implementation Network (2025), Contribution from the European Implementation Network
for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
European Public Prosecutor’s Office (2025), 2024 Annual Report.
eppo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2025-03/EPPO Annual Report 2024_2.pdf
Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (2025), Contribution from the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit for the 2025
Rule of Law Report.
GRECO (2014), Fourth Evaluation Round – Evaluation Report on Ireland on corruption prevention
in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors,
https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000
016806c6921.
GRECO (2024a), Fourth Evaluation Round – Addendum to the Second compliance report on Ireland
on corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors,
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/greco-fourth-round-addendum-to-second-compliance-report-of-
ireland.pdf.
GRECO (2024b), Fifth Evaluation Round – Compliance Report on Ireland preventing corruption and
promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies,
21
https://rm.coe.int/fifth-evaluation-round-preventing-corruption-and-promoting-integrity-
i/1680b1b310.
Irish Council for Civil Liberties (2025), Contribution from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties for the
2025 Rule of Law Report.
Irish Environmental Network (2025), Contribution from the Irish Environmental Network for the
2025 Rule of Law Report.
Irish Government (2025a), Contribution from the Irish Government for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
Irish Government (2025b), additional written contribution for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
Irish Government (2025c), Government Programme.
programme-for-government-securing-irelands-future.pdf.
Irish Government (2025d), Summer 2025 Government Legislation Programme.
Government_Legislation_Programme_Summer_2025.pdf.
Irish Government (2025e) Protected Disclosures Act Statistical Data Report 2023.
Protected Disclosures Act: Information for Citizens and Public Bodies.
Irish Government (2025f), additional written contribution for the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (2024), Annual Report 2023,
https://www.ihrec.ie//app/uploads/2024/06/Annual-Report-2023.pdf.
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (2022), Annual Report 2021,
https://www.ihrec.ie/documents/annual-report-2021/.
Legal Services Regulatory Authority (2024), Final Report to the Minister for Justice, ‘Breaking down
the barriers’, LSRA-Breaking-Down-Barriers-Final-Report-to-Minister-for-Justice-Jan-2024-
FINAL.pdf
OECD (2023), Modernising staffing and court management practices in Ireland: Towards a more
responsive and resilient justice system, https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/modernising-staffing-
and-court-management-practices-in-ireland_8a5c52d0-en/full-report.html.
Parliamentary question (2025), n°827 asked on 5 February 2025,
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2025-02-05/827/#pq-answers-827.
Transparency International (2025), Corruption Perceptions Index 2024,
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2024.
Transparency International Ireland (2025), Contribution from Transparency International Ireland for
the 2025 Rule of Law Report.
22
Annex II: Country visit to Ireland
The Commission services held virtual meetings in February 2025 with:
• Advisory Council on Economic Crime and Corruption
• Association of Judges of Ireland
• Bar of Ireland
• Chambers Ireland
• Chief Justice
• Coimisiún na Meán
• Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
• Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA)
• Courts Service
• Department of Foreign Affairs
• Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
• Department of Justice
• Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform
• Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
• Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU)
• Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB)
• Independent business association for Irish SMEs (ISME)
• Irish Council for Civil Liberties
• Irish Environmental Network
• Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
• Judicial Council
• Law Society of Ireland
• Legal Services Regulatory Authority
• National Union of Journalists
• Office of the Comptroller and the Auditor General
• Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
• Office of the Police Ombudsman (Fiosrú)/ Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission
(GSOC)
• RTÉ
• Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO)
• Transparency International Ireland
* The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings:
• Amnesty International
• Araminta
• Civil Liberties Union for Europe
• Civil Society Europe
• European Civic Forum
• European Partnership for Democracy
• European Youth Forum,
23
• International Commission of Jurists
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• JEF Europe
• Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association.
• Transparency International