Ireland

Following their agreement to a statement of principles to underpin a future government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have sought to persuade the Green Party to join formal negotiations on a new coalition government by conceding many of the party’s demands, such as introducing a new Climate Bill during the first 100 days of the new government that will enshrine in law the target of carbon neutrality by 2050. In order to ensure the Greens are on board, both parties have made positive statements as to other Green demands.
The economic impact of the coronavirus continues to be felt across Ireland as a survey indicated that a 60 per cent plus fall in revenue for business as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions. Business owners are calling on the government to provide a clear plan for re-opening the economy as more than one-third of surveyed businesses have shut down completely during the pandemic. With 18,561 cases of Coronavirus in Ireland and over 1,000 deaths, public health officials have stated that they will base any decision on the future of the restrictions after May 4th on two factors: what the numbers are saying and how the system is coping.