Renewed political momentum around the EU Single Market comes amidst increasing geopolitical uncertainty, positioning it as key to enhancing competitiveness and resilience, and withstanding trade and economic turbulence.

In this episode of Ibec Responds, Róisín de Bhaldraithe, EU Policy Executive, and Martynas Barysas, Director for Internal Market at BusinessEurope, examine the European Commission’s report on the Single Market Strategy, its impact on Irish and European business, and communicate key business recommendations on Single Market policy, as part of our campaign on Ireland’s EU Presidency: “Making a Resilient, Competitive EU a Reality”.

As part of the campaign, we also launched our new paper “Single Market and Simplification: Turning Ambition Into Action.” The Single Market is one of the EU’s most valuable assets. Evidence-based, impact-assessed and future-proof legislation is the cornerstone of a properly functioning Single Market.

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Ireland's eighth Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2026 arrives at a pivotal time for our country and for Europe, offering a unique opportunity to influence the EU's policy direction.

In this episode of Ibec Responds, Fergal O’Brien, Executive Director of Lobbying and Influence, is joined by Pat Ivory, Director of EU and International Affairs, to provide overview of our new campaign: “Making a Resilient, Competitive EU a Reality”, outlining our key ambitions and priorities for Ireland’s EU Presidency.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here. Make sure to follow Ibec Podcasts to stay up to date with new episodes.

Following the release of our 2025 HR Update Report, Fiona Higgins, Head of Knowledge Centre and Stephen Driver, Head of Advocacy, provide an overview of the key findings in relation to HR priorities going into 2026.

Our 2025 HR Update Report can be downloaded here.

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Budget 2026 puts focus driving innovation, protecting, and creating jobs, and increasing investment in critical infrastructure.

In this episode of Ibec Responds, Ger Brady, Chief Economist, and Mourad Mejdi, Economist, give their reaction and analysis to Budget 2026, detail key measures, and discuss the impact of Budget 2026 on Irish business.

Find out more: https://www.ibec.ie/budget2026

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The Irish economy has again proven resilient in the face of challenge over the first three quarters of 2025. Investment and consumer demand in particular have held up despite enormous uncertainty about the global trading environment. Ireland’s economy is still benefitting from the remarkable momentum it had built over the last number of years. However there are challenges ahead, driven by a slowing global economic environment and more geopolitical and market volatility.

In this episode, Ger Brady, Chief Economist at Ibec, discusses key findings from our latest Economic Outlook report with Ibec Economists, Hazel Ahern-Flynn and Mourad Mejdi.

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The recent publication of the Government’s Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity is a positive and important step in future-proofing Ireland’s economic model in a time of global change.

In this episode of Ibec Responds, Gerard Brady, Chief Economist, and Fergal O’Brien, Executive Director of Lobbying and Influence, examine the detail of the Action Plan, the strong alignment between elements of the plan and Ibec’s “Our Business Ambition” campaign which was launched this past May, the importance of this plan in securing future international investment in Ireland, and the need for Budget 2026 to provide the necessary resources to underpin the plan’s objectives.

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In the second episode of our Preparing for Pay Transparency series, Nichola Harkin, Head of Employment Law Services, and Kara McGann, Head of Skills and Social Policy, discuss the policy background and context for the Pay Transparency Directive.

As employer’s prepare for the introduction of the Directive, the two discuss the intention behind the legislation and Ibec’s key priorities for the Irish government and the EU in ensuring that businesses are given the proper resources to meet their obligations.

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Hybrid and remote working has transformed the workplace. With companies still working to cultivate the optimum blend of technology enabled, and in-person collaboration that is crucial to success.

In this episode of Ibec WorkTalks, Fiona Higgins, Head of Knowledge Centre in Ibec, and Dr. Tatiana Andreeva from Maynooth University explore the hidden dynamics of hybrid work. Drawing on Tatiana’s latest research on hybrid workplaces, they discuss the realities of knowledge sharing in distributed teams, the unintended consequences of return-to-office mandates, experiences of line managers and how organisations can foster a more equitable and high-performing hybrid workforce.

Further information:

The Evolving Role of Line Managers in Hybrid Work: Challenges, Experiences, and Solutions

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here. Make sure to follow Ibec Podcasts to stay up to date with new episodes.