Since January 1st, Ireland holds the rotating presidency of the EU. Its commitment to smart regulation was confirmed in its 9 January 2013 statement already reported on this blog. From the chair, Ireland will be responsible for securing new developments in the next European Council conclusions. In a speech delivered in Brussels in January, the minister in charge indicated that the chair would "work towards agreement on new approaches to tackling 'red tape' and assess further methodologies and mechanisms for delivering smart regulation. The Irish Presidency will build on the progress already made in reducing business costs by the administrative burden reduction programmes carried out by the Commission and Member States." Meanwhile, on the home front, according to The Independent, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation estimates that the cost of doing business has fallen by €200m through savings introduced following the streamlining of companies office and health and safety regulations. The rationalisation of State employment agencies will also bring "significant" savings. The main simplification effort will be directed at reducing the cost of licences in the retail sector by 33 per cent by setting up a single portal for agencies.
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