Martin Daly: Calls for EU SME Red Tape Cuts to Boost Competitiveness
Martin Daly addressed the minister and the House on Europe's competitiveness, urging substantial cuts to regulatory burdens on businesses, especially SMEs. He endorsed the European Commission's targets to reduce reporting requirements and stressed the need for delivery to secure long-term prosperity.
Martin Daly argued that excessive regulatory burdens are slowing growth, holding back innovation and weakening Europe's global competitiveness. He said small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly weighed down by overlapping and complex rules and must be allowed to operate with clarity, confidence and agility.
He highlighted the Commission's targets to cut reporting requirements by at least 25% for all companies and by at least 35% for SMEs. If fully achieved, he said, these simplification measures could deliver €37.5 billion in annual savings across the European Union, money that could be reinvested in job creation, innovation and productivity.
Daly noted the Commission introduced the Competitiveness Compass in January 2025 as a roadmap to restore Europe’s dynamism. He said it builds on Mario Draghi's report, which identified three core imperatives - closing the innovation gap, developing a joint strategy for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and increasing security while reducing excessive dependencies outside Europe.
He stressed that competitiveness requires more than paperwork reduction, calling for completion of the single market, improved access to capital and removal of unnecessary barriers. Daly urged legislators in Ireland to ensure the national impact of EU simplification reaches SMEs, champion reforms that reduce bureaucracy and make Ireland more business-dynamic within Europe.
He concluded with a call for sustained collaboration and continued progress on reform, emphasising that competitiveness is the foundation of sustainable prosperity for Ireland and the EU. His final remarks reiterated the need to plan and act for the future and to work collectively to deliver the promised changes.
Main argument
Martin Daly argued that excessive regulatory burdens are slowing growth, holding back innovation and weakening Europe's global competitiveness. He said small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly weighed down by overlapping and complex rules and must be allowed to operate with clarity, confidence and agility.
Simplification targets and estimated savings
He highlighted the Commission's targets to cut reporting requirements by at least 25% for all companies and by at least 35% for SMEs. If fully achieved, he said, these simplification measures could deliver €37.5 billion in annual savings across the European Union, money that could be reinvested in job creation, innovation and productivity.
Competitiveness Compass and Draghi report
Daly noted the Commission introduced the Competitiveness Compass in January 2025 as a roadmap to restore Europe’s dynamism. He said it builds on Mario Draghi's report, which identified three core imperatives - closing the innovation gap, developing a joint strategy for decarbonisation and competitiveness, and increasing security while reducing excessive dependencies outside Europe.
Policy priorities for the EU and Ireland
He stressed that competitiveness requires more than paperwork reduction, calling for completion of the single market, improved access to capital and removal of unnecessary barriers. Daly urged legislators in Ireland to ensure the national impact of EU simplification reaches SMEs, champion reforms that reduce bureaucracy and make Ireland more business-dynamic within Europe.
Conclusion and closing remarks
He concluded with a call for sustained collaboration and continued progress on reform, emphasising that competitiveness is the foundation of sustainable prosperity for Ireland and the EU. His final remarks reiterated the need to plan and act for the future and to work collectively to deliver the promised changes.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Richard O'Donoghue
Richard O'Donoghue: Urges Means Test on State-Provided Housing
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy: Says Speaking Time Cuts Aim to Silence Opposition
Michael Collins
Michael Collins urges automatic medical cards for cancer patients
Victor Boyhan
Victor Boyhan warns of 'air code lottery' in home care waiting lists
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan exposes surrogacy exploitation tied to Ukraine
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath: Triple Lock and Neutrality Must Be Sacrosanct
Transcript
Minister Byrne, as we reflect on the outcomes of the recent European Council meeting, I believe it is vital that we in this House consider and respond to the key priorities raised, including Ukraine, the Middle East, security and defence, migration and the European Union's next multi-annual financial framework. Each of these issues are significant and I made a statement on security last week emphasising Ireland's need as a mature, militarily neutral but politically aligned state to invest in its own security and defence. But today I want to focus on the theme at the heart of our long-term prosperity, Europe's competitiveness. European businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, are facing an excessive regulatory burden. That burden is slowing down growth, holding back innovation and weakening our global competitiveness. The European Commission is responding with specific targets aiming to reduce reporting requirements by at least 25% for all companies and by at least 35% for SMEs. This is a necessary and welcome step. If fully achieved, these simplification measures could deliver €37.5 billion in annual savings across the European Union. This is not just a statistic, it is money that can be reinvested in job creation, innovation, productivity instead of being lost in red tape. For far too long, our SMEs have been weighed down by layers of overlapping and complex regulation. These are the very businesses that power our local economies, create jobs and drive entrepreneurship. If we want to keep up in a competitive global market, we need to ensure that they can operate with clarity, confidence and agility. Let's be clear, this is not about abandoning regulation, it is about smarter regulation, rules that support innovation rather than stifle it, simplification that boosts transparency without compromising standards. We need a system that recognises our businesses are not as boxes to be ticked but engines of growth. In January 2025, the Commission introduced the Competitiveness Compass, a new roadmap to restore Europe's dynamism and accelerate economic growth. It builds on the insights of Mario Draghi's report on the future of European competitiveness and provides a strategic framework for the Commission's work during this mandate. The Draghi report identified three core imperatives, closing the innovation gap, developing a joint strategy for decarbonisation and competitiveness and increasing security while reducing excessive dependencies outside of Europe. The Competitiveness Compass outlines a clear path to turning these priorities into tangible outcomes, offering both direction and accountability. This broader vision matters because Competitiveness is not just about reducing paperwork, it is about enabling Europe to lead in technologies, industry and energy systems of the future. The EU's renewed focus on completing the single market, improving access to capital and removing unnecessary barriers is both timely and essential. But ambition alone will not be enough, it must be backed by real delivery. As legislators we have a responsibility to support this agenda at home. In Ireland that means making sure our businesses, especially SMEs, feel the impact of this drive for simplicity and efficiency. It means championing reforms that reduce bureaucracy, accelerate growth and make Ireland a leader in business dynamism within Europe. Let us seize this moment to align with Europe's momentum for reform. Let us give our SMEs the freedom to thrive, innovate and compete, not just across Europe but globally. Competitiveness is not just an economic goal, it is the foundation of sustainable prosperity for Ireland and the EU. How did you achieve that? Well as I began to overlook, I would find that in the work that you've already decided that you have to make a positive change for people who have been paralyzed and what you are trying to do in no time. Let us see that about the future, the future, the future. What you've committed to do is to be the future for the future, the future for the future, how are you going to continue to progress for the future through the future. What you can do is make people go to and then plan with the future. What you've committed to doing in the future? What you've committed and that you do is to accept this and understand that the future is to collaborate.