COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2026 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 2026 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union
Date: 2026-07-17
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: Ireland, administrative transparency, corruption, democracy, freedom of the press, human rights, independence of the judiciary, pluralism in the media, rule of law, whistleblowing

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 17.7.2026  SWD(2026) 907 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2026 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 2026 Rule of Law Report                The rule of law situation in the European Union {COM(2026) 900 final} - {SWD(2026) 901 final} - {SWD(2026) 902 final} - {SWD(2026) 903 final} - {SWD(2026) 904 final} - {SWD(2026) 905 final} - {SWD(2026) 906 final} - {SWD(2026) 908 final} - {SWD(2026) 909 final} - {SWD(2026) 910 final} - {SWD(2026) 911 final} - {SWD(2026) 912 final} - {SWD(2026) 913 final} - {SWD(2026) 914 final} - {SWD(2026) 915 final} - {SWD(2026) 916 final} - {SWD(2026) 917 final} - {SWD(2026) 918 final} - {SWD(2026) 919 final} - {SWD(2026) 920 final} - {SWD(2026) 921 final} - {SWD(2026) 922 final} - {SWD(2026) 923 final} - {SWD(2026) 924 final} - {SWD(2026) 925 final} - {SWD(2026) 926 final} - {SWD(2026) 927 final} - {SWD(2026) 928 final} - {SWD(2026) 929 final} - {SWD(2026) 930 final} - {SWD(2026) 931 final}  
 
 
ABSTRACT 

Reforms  to  improve  the  quality  of  Ireland's  justice  system  continued,  and  both  the  general 
public and companies perceive its independence as very high. Some further progress has been 
made  in  reducing  litigation  costs,  with  the  drafting  of  the  Civil  Reform  Bill  underway.  A 
review of the Civil Legal Aid scheme has been published, and reforms to the Criminal Legal 
Aid system are ongoing, with the intention to improve access to justice. Ireland remains the 
Member  State  with  the  lowest  number  of  judges  per  capita,  and  while  work  is  ongoing  on 
recruitment of judges, concerns persist regarding the adequacy of existing safeguards for the 
employment conditions of the judiciary. Further measures to enhance digitalisation of justice 
are being implemented, such as improving e-litigation. A decision on the next steps regarding 
the  reports  on  the  Offences  Against  the  State  Acts,  including  the  operation  of  the  Special 
Criminal Court, remains pending. Concerns remain about the length of proceedings and about 
the  data  gathering  on  the  overall  efficiency  of  justice,  with  the  Courts  Service  pursuing 
initiatives to improve data availability. An independent assessment process to implement the 
right established by the 2024 Act on delays in court proceedings is still under preparation. 

The perception among experts, citizens and business executives is that the level of corruption 
in the public sector remains relatively low. The Multi-Annual Strategy to combat Economic 
Crime  and  Corruption  has  been  approved.  Cooperation  among  the  competent  authorities 
functions  well.  Challenges  in  staffing  levels  remain  for  investigation  and  prosecution  of 
corruption  offences.  There  has  been  limited  progress  in  the  strengthening  of  the  ethics 
framework  and  in  the  strengthening  and  digitalisation  of  asset  declarations.  The  Lobbying 
Regulation  continues  to  be  implemented.  The  statutory  review  of  the  Protected  Disclosures 
Act  is  starting this year, with  a public consultation  scheduled to  gather  further evidence on 
whistleblower  experience.  The  government  aims  to  create  a  system  for  identifying  bid-
rigging, in order to address the high risk of corruption in public procurement. 

legislation 

The  media  regulator  functions  independently  with  increasing  staff  numbers  in  view  of  its 
growing  regulatory  competences.  The  reform  of  governance  and  funding  framework  of  the 
public  service  media  has  continued,  with  the  Broadcasting  (Amendment)  Bill  that  aims  to 
increase  governance  independence  and  reform  the  assessment  of  funding  published  in  May 
2026.The  Government  also  published  new 
to  address  media  market 
concentrations, transparency of media ownership and state advertising. The Media Regulation 
Bill transfers to the media regulator responsibility for media merger assessments, as well as 
monitoring and reporting on the state advertising allocation. Ireland has finalised the reform 
of the Defamation  (Amendment) Bill, introducing safeguards that counter strategic lawsuits 
against  public  participation  (SLAPPs).  The  General  Scheme  of  Strategic  Lawsuits  Against 
Public  Participation  Bill  was  published  in  February  2026,  completing  the  EU  Anti-SLAPP 
Directive  transposition  by  mirroring  provisions  in  the  Defamation  Bill  with  regards  to  all 
other  civil  and  commercial  proceedings  outside  of  defamation.  The  safety  of  journalists 
remains  stable,  nevertheless  some  challenges  affecting  their  professional  environment  were 
reported.  

The  Irish Human Rights  and Equality  Commission  continued its activities, noting a lack of 
sufficient  resources.  Ireland's  civic  space  remains  open.  Different  initiatives  have  been 
launched to promote  a rule of law culture. The Electoral Commission continues conducting 
its comprehensive review of the 1997 Electoral Act, which includes a focus on addressing the 
legal obstacles that restrict access to funding for civil society organisations. 

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RECOMMENDATIONS 

Overall,  based  on  the  recommendations  in  the  2025  Rule  of  Law  Report,  and  considering 
other developments that took place in the period of reference, the Commission concludes the 
following:  

•  Some further progress has been made on reducing litigation costs, as the General Scheme 
of the Civil Reform Bill has been presented which introduces several key reforms aimed 
at reducing litigation costs. Since the reform remains to be adopted, it is recommended to 
Ireland  to  finalise  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.  

•  Limited further progress has been made to strengthen the existing ethics framework and 
to  strengthen  and  digitalise  the  asset  declarations  system,  with  efforts  to  initiate  the 
digitalisation of asset declarations being considered within the current framework. Since 
the  ‘Ethics  Reform  Bill’  is  still  under  preparation  and  the  digitalisation  of  asset 
declarations  under  the  current  framework  still  needs  to  be  implemented,  it  is 
recommended to  Ireland to  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. 

•  Limited progress has been made on addressing legal obstacles related to access to funding 
for  civil  society  organisations,  as  the  Electoral  Commission  continues  to  conduct  a 
comprehensive  review  of  the  1997  Electoral  Act.  It  is  recommended  to  Ireland  to 
continue ongoing efforts to tackle legal challenges regarding access to funding for civil 
society organisations, as part of the broader Electoral Act reform. 

As regards the other 2025 recommendations, the Commission concludes that: 

•  Significant  progress  has  been  made  on  completing  the  reform  to  provide  funding  for 
public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit while 
guaranteeing its independence, in light of the adoption of the Broadcasting (Amendment) 
Bill.  Given  that  the  topics  of  this  recommendation  are  covered  by  provisions  of  the 
European Media  Freedom  Act  (EMFA), while the Rule of Law Report  will continue to 
monitor  significant  developments  and  report  on  their  impact,  further  follow-up  will  be 
ensured  as  part  of  the  Commission’s  support  to  Member  States  and  enforcement  of  the 
EMFA. 

•  The  recommendation  on  finalising  the  reform  of  the  Defamation  Act  to  improve  the 
professional  environment  for  journalists  taking  into  account  European  standards  on  the 
protection of journalists has been fully implemented, in light of adoption of the necessary 
legislation. 

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I. 

JUSTICE SYSTEM1  

Independence  

The level of perceived judicial independence in Ireland is now very high among both the 
general  public  and  companies.  Overall,  75%  of  the  general  population  and  78%  of 
companies perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly or very good’ 
in  20262.  The  perceived  judicial  independence  among  the  general  public  has  slightly 
increased in  comparison with  2025 (72%),  as  well as in  comparison  with 2022 (73%). The 
perceived judicial independence among companies has slightly decreased in comparison with 
2025 (79%), and has slightly increased in comparison with 2022 (77%).  

The  Judicial  Appointments  Commission  continues  to  fulfil  its  functions.  The  Judicial 
Appointments Commission Act 2023, enacted on 8 December 2023, was fully commenced on 
1  January  2025.  The  Judicial  Appointments  Commission  has  a  key  role  in  judicial 
appointments  and  interviews  of  all  judges  applying  for  promotion3.  Under  the  Judicial 
Appointments  Commission  Act  2023,  all  judges,  including  those  seeking  promotion,  are 
required to undergo an interview with the Judicial Appointments Commission.  

Quality  

There has been some further progress on the recommendation to reduce litigation costs 
through the planned Civil Reform Bill4. Concerns about the costs of litigation continue to 
be  raised5.  Stakeholders  advocate  for  increased  investment  in  the  justice  system,  enhanced 
civil  legal  aid,  setting  non-binding  legal  cost  guidelines  and  decreasing  state-imposed  fees, 
stressing the need to account for the specific features of Ireland as a common law jurisdiction 
in  this  context6.  To  address  these  concerns,  the  Government  published  in  January  2026  the 
General Scheme of the Civil Reform Bill. The Bill introduces several key reforms to improve 
effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  the  justice  system  and  ultimately  reduce  litigation  costs, 
including  of  the  discovery  process  (pre-trial  phase),  which  is  expected  to  help  prevent  its 
abuse.  The  Bill  also  places  judicial  review  on  a  statutory  basis,  ensuring  that  different 
categories  of  litigants  have  sufficient  standing  to  properly  challenge  decisions.  The  Bill 
furthermore  proposes  raising  the  monetary  limits  on  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Circuit  and 
District  Courts,  which would  lower legal  costs by handling more non-complex cases in  the 
lower courts. The Bill includes a range of other civil procedure reforms, aiming to streamline 
processes  and  reduce  costs  across  the  court  system,  which  some  legal  stakeholders  noted 

1  An overview of the institutional framework for all four pillars can be found here. 
2   Figures 48 and 50, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard and Figures 51 and 53, 2024 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   2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 3. 
4   The  2025  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  to  Ireland  to “[t]ake  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  was  previously  assessed  on  this  recommendation  in  2025,  and  some  progress  in  2024  and  no 
progress in 2023. 

5   Environmental Law Ireland, initiative hosted at An Taisce (2026), written input, p. 8; Civil Liberties Union 
for Europe (2026), p. 399; country visit Ireland, ISME; Competition and Consumer Protection Commission 
(2026), written input. 

6   The Bar of Ireland (2026), written input, pp. 21-22. 

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could impact on access to judicial review7. Pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of 
the  Bill  has  concluded8,  and  the  Joint  Committee  on  Justice,  Home  Affairs  and  Migration 
published its report on it on 24 June 2026. It  recommends revisiting certain rules regarding 
litigation  costs,  including  discovery  expenses  and  judicial  review.  Subject  to  drafting,  it  is 
intended  to  publish  the  Civil  Reform  Bill  in  the  third  quarter  of  20269.  In  May  2026, 
regulations  were  signed  by  the  Minister  for  Climate,  Energy  and  the  Environment  and 
Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services Reform and Digitalisation to 
give effect to introducing a scale of fees for environmental judicial reviews, with the aim of 
lowering the cost of these proceedings. Overall, some further progress has been made on the 
recommendation on reducing litigation costs to ensure effective access to justice. 

A  review  of  the  Civil  Legal  Aid  scheme  was  published,  and  a  reform  of  the  Criminal 
Legal  Aid  system  is  planned,  with  some  steps  on  fees  already  taken.  The  Independent 
Review  Group  published  its  reports  on  the  review  of  the  Civil  Legal  Aid  Scheme  in  July 
202510. Stakeholders continued to express concerns about the current civil legal aid scheme, 
stressing  that  swift  progress  is  urgently  required  for  reforms  to  address  ongoing  issues  that 
restrict access to justice to the most vulnerable citizens11. Notably the Bar of Ireland and Free 
Legal  Aid  Centres  (FLAC)12  have  indicated  that  reforms  are  required  to  address  under-
resourcing,  including  of  the  Legal  Aid  Board,  narrow  applicability  and  unclear  eligibility 
criteria13, in order to address the current situation and to meet likely increased requirements 
following the implementation of the Migration Pact in 202614. The Department of Justice has 
taken note of the findings of the reports of the Independent Review Group and is preparing 
reforms which will be sequenced so that the system remains operational while improvements 
are  introduced15.  The  Government  has  consistently  acknowledged  the  role  of  criminal 
barristers  in  the  administration  of  justice  and  upholding  the  rule  of  law  and  since  2025  the 
Government  implemented  an  8%  increase  in  fees  paid  to  barristers  and  solicitors  under  the 
Criminal  Legal  Aid Scheme16. The Government  has announced measures  intended to  make 
the  Criminal  Legal  Aid  Scheme  more  efficient,  including  a  flat  fee  for  representation  in  a 
case, and has also committed to restore fees as from 1 July 2026, reversing previous cuts. 

While  initiatives  are  underway  to  enhance  access  to  justice,  a  suitable  framework  for 
discussing  issues  related  to  constitutional  safeguards  for  the  judiciary  relating  to 
employment  conditions  has  yet  to  be  set  up.  Ireland  remains  the  Member  State  with  the 
lowest  number  of  judges  per  capita17,  and  work  is  ongoing  on  recruitment  of  judges.  The 
Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2025, enacted in December 2025, will 
facilitate the appointment of 20 additional judges across the District Court, Circuit Court and 

7   Country visit Ireland, The Bar of Ireland. 
8  

Irish  Government  (2026),  written  input,  p.  2.  The  general  scheme  or  “heads”  of  a  bill  are  the  outline 
provisions  of  planned  legislation,  scrutinised  by  an  Oireachtas  Committee  before  the  text  of  the  Bill  is 
finalised. 

9  Written Answer (2026) from Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to Parliamentary Questions 

722 to 727. 

10   Department of Justice (2025), Review of Civil Legal Aid Scheme. 
11   The  Bar  of  Ireland  (2026),  written  input,  p.  9;  CCBE  (2026),  written  input,  p. 135;  country  visit  Ireland, 
IEN  and  Environmental  Law  Ireland,  initiative  hosted  at  An  Taisce,  The  Bar  of  Ireland,  Law  Society  of 
Ireland, Irish Council for Civil Liberties and IHREC. 

12   The Bar of Ireland (2026), written input, p. 9; FLAC (2026), written input, pp. 1-5. 
13   FLAC (2026), written input, pp. 2-3. 
14   Law Society of Ireland (2026), Submission on Civil Legal Aid. 
15   Country visit Ireland, Department of Justice. 
16   The increase is effective from 1 January 2025. The Bar of Ireland (2026), written input, pp. 9-10. 
17   Figure 36, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard (number of judges per 100 000 inhabitants). 

4 

 
 
 
High Court. These appointments follow the previous appointment of 24 additional judges in 
2023  as  recommended  by  the  Judicial  Planning  Working  Group.  The  Bar  of  Ireland  has 
emphasised  that  the  effective  implementation  of  the  Family  Courts  Act  in  the  forthcoming 
months  and  years  will  be  heavily  reliant  on  the  allocation  of  sufficient  resources18.  The 
Government has announced that it will implement the Family Courts Act in phases, with the 
aim  of  establishing  the  first  family  courts  in  January  2027.  The  Courts  Service  Estates 
Strategy 2022-2025 aims to ensure that buildings and facilities effectively meet the needs of 
users,  while  supporting  the  goals  of  modernisation  and  digitalisation19.  Further  efforts  to 
modernise and enhance access to justice are taking place, also informed by the results of the 
first ever legal needs survey in Ireland20. Stakeholders expressed concerns at the introduction 
of Legal Partnerships for solicitors and barristers21. The Legal Services Regulatory Authority 
(LSRA)  is  currently  performing  a  review  and  handling  a  significant  increase  in  complaints 
related to solicitors and barristers, with around 1 000 cases per year, mainly for misconduct, 
and  a  notable  rise  in  the  complexity  of  these  complaints22.  Stakeholders23  continue  to  raise 
concerns  about  the  lack  of  an  appropriate  structure  to  examine  questions  concerning 
constitutional safeguards for the judiciary in connection with employment conditions, and the 
impact  of  the  lack  of  such  a  structure  on  judicial  independence24.  The  Senior  Posts 
Remuneration  Committee  (SPRC),  established  in  March  2024,  is  envisaged  to  become  a 
statutory  body25,  but  it  currently  advises  Government  on  judicial  pay  policy  and  does  not 
provide independent advice to the Government on broader employment conditions of judges. 

Work  continues  on  enhancing  the  digitalisation  of  the  justice  system,  including  e-
litigation.  Ireland  significantly  lags  behind  in  digital  solutions  to  initiate  and  follow 
proceedings  in  civil,  commercial  and  administrative  cases26.  The  ten-year  modernisation 
programme, ‘The Courts Service Long-Term Strategic Vision to 2030: Supporting Access to 
Justice in  a modern, digital Ireland’, has  driven the use of digital technology.  Provisions to 
enable  remote  hearings  and  electronic  documents  are  being  developed  for  introduction  as 
amendments  to  the  Criminal  Law,  Civil  Law  and  Defence  (Miscellaneous  Provisions)  Bill 
202627 during its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas28. The rollout of the Unified 

18   The Bar of Ireland (2026), written input, p. 15. 
19   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 9. 
20   The Commission through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) is supporting Ireland to enhance access to 
justice  through  people-centred  justice.  The  project  focuses  on  courts  modernisation  and  legal  aid,  with 
priority for justice problems relating to family disputes, non-court options and access to justice for people 
on low incomes. As part of the project, Ireland had its first legal need survey. 

21   The  Bar  of  Ireland  (2026),  written  input,  p.  13,  stressing  they  may  cause  conflicts  of  interest  for  legal 

practitioners who choose to operate under this legal framework. 

22   Country visit, LSRA. 
23   Country visit Ireland, Chief Justice and AJI. 
24   According  to  GRECO  (2014),  para.  137,  the  constitutional  provision  exempting  judges  from  a  pay 
reduction was revoked and amended, prompting a recommendation to establish a framework for examining 
constitutional safeguards related to judges' employment conditions. In 2025, GRECO took note that a new 
advisory body (namely the Senior Posts Remuneration Committee) was  established but concluded that the 
recommendation  remains  partly  implemented  because,  inter  alia,  the  body  cannot  provide  independent 
advice (GRECO, 2025, paras. 30-38). 

25   GRECO (2025), para. 36. 
26   Figures  39-47,  2026  EU  Justice  Scoreboard,  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. 

27   Published on 9 January 2026 as the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. The 
title of the Bill was changed to the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 
2026 by amendment during the Dáil Committee Stage debate on 19 May 2026. 

28   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 11. 

5 

 
 
 
Case  Management  System  (UCMS)  continued  in  2025,  with  the  introduction  of  the  Courts 
Portal allowing for online applications and filings29. Since December 2025, the Courts Portal 
is  available  nationwide,  and  in  November  2025  it  was  expanded  to  incorporate  online 
applications for Probate on a pilot basis, with the aim to allow for e-filing, e-serving, making 
e-payments and the collection of digital orders in the next years30. 

A  follow-up  to  the  reports  on  the  Offences  Against  the  State  Acts  as  regards  the 
operation of the Special Criminal Court remains outstanding.  The Offences Against the 
State  Acts  lay  down  certain  provisions  on  the  operation  of  the  Special  Criminal  Court.  In 
June  2023,  the  Independent  Group  tasked  with  reviewing  these  Acts  published  its  majority 
and  minority  reports31,  including  recommendations  to  fully  repeal  the  Acts  whilst  retaining 
certain provisions in replacement legislation including the setting up of a new non-jury court 
to  replace  the  Special  Criminal  Court.  Stakeholders32  have  advocated  that  the  Special 
Criminal Court be either abolished or subjected to substantial reforms to ensure respect of the 
right  to  fair  trial33.  The  Government  is  currently  considering  the  recommendations  of  the 
majority report after announcing in its 2025 Programme that it intends to  retain the Special 
Criminal Court and annually review some related legal provisions. 

Efficiency 

Concerns remain about the length of proceedings and about the data-gathering on the 
overall efficiency of justice, with the Courts Service pursuing initiatives to improve data 
availability.  In  2024,  the  clearance  rate  was  83%  for  non-criminal  cases  and  72%  for 
litigious civil and commercial cases, the lowest rates in the EU34. There is still no system to 
regularly  evaluate  court  performance  based  on  defined  indicators  and  the  duration  of  court 
proceedings is not being systematically recorded, which does not allow the assessment of the 
efficiency  of  the  justice  system  in  a  comparative  way35.  A  recent  stakeholder  report  on 
“Justice  indicators”  has  supported  the  view  that  a  more  comprehensive  set  of  data  is 
necessary for the improvement of the efficiency in the justice system36. The Courts Service is 
pursuing initiatives to enhance the information available on court activities and proceedings, 
though  the specificities  of the  Irish  system  complicate this effort37. According  to  data  from 
the  Courts  Service  annual  reports38,  for  the  High  Court,  the  average  length  of  civil 
proceedings  in  2024  was  630  days,  a  decrease  of  166  days  in  comparison  with  2023.  The 
average  length  of  proceedings  for  criminal  cases  increased  in  2024  in  some  court  settings. 
There was very little variation in the length  of proceedings at the Court of Appeal both for 
civil cases (to 371 days in 2024 from 413 in 2023) and criminal cases (to 413 in 2024 from 
427  in  2023).  The  average  length  of  appeal  proceedings  in  the  Supreme  Court  reversed  a 
decreasing trend and grew slightly (to 371 days in 2024 from 329 in 2023).  

Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 11. 

29   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 11 and country visit Ireland, Courts Service. 
30 
31  Department of Justice (2023a), Offences Against the State Act – Independent Review Group’s Reports. 
32  Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2026), p. 400; IHREC (2022), p. 33. 
33  2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, pp. 8-9. 
34  Figures 9 and 10, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard. These figures are broadly stable compared to the previous 

year. 

35   In particular, data prepared according to the methodology laid down by the Council of Europe’s European 

Commission for the Efficiency of Justice generally feed the EU Justice Scoreboard. 

36   Centre for Justice and Law Reform – Law Society Ireland (2026), p. 106. 
37   Country visit Ireland, Courts Service. 
38   The Courts Service (2025), p. 124. 

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An independent assessment process to implement the right established by the 2024 Act 
on delays in court proceedings is still under preparation. The Court Proceedings (Delays) 
Act, enacted on 1 May 2024 and not yet brought into application, establishes a statutory right 
to the timely conclusion of court proceedings, enabling individuals to seek a declaration and, 
where  appropriate  compensation,  in  cases  where  they  have  been  subjected  to  undue  delays 
within  the  justice  system.  The  Act  provides  for  the  creation  of  an  independent  assessment 
mechanism, operating under the supervision of the Department of Justice, to evaluate claims 
of violations of the right to the conclusion of proceedings within a reasonable timeframe. The 
implementation  of  this  assessment  scheme  is  currently  underway,  to  be  launched  in  June 
2026, at which point the Act will become fully operational39. 

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 2025 Corruption Perceptions 
Index  by  Transparency  International,  Ireland  scores  76/100  and  ranks  seventh  in  the 
European  Union  and  twelfth  globally40.  This  perception  has  been  relatively  stable  over  the 
past  five  years41.  The  2026  Special  Eurobarometer  on  Corruption  shows  that  67%  of 
respondents consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average  71%) and 21% of 
respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average 30%). As 
regards  businesses,  18%  of  companies  consider  that  corruption  is  widespread  (EU  average 
65%) and 10% consider that corruption is a problem when doing business (EU average 37%). 
Furthermore, 30% of respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter 
people  from  corrupt  practices  (EU  average  38%),  while  33%  of  companies  believe  that 
people  and  businesses  caught  for  bribing  a  senior  official  are  appropriately  punished  (EU 
average 31%)42. 

The  Multi-Annual  Strategy  to  combat  Economic  Crime  and  Corruption  has  been 
approved.  The  Government  approved  a  Strategy  to  Combat  Economic  Crime  and 
Corruption,  which  will  still  need  to  be  published43.  The  Strategy  is  set  to  include  a 
comprehensive  and  cross-governmental  approach  to  combatting  economic  crime  and 
corruption, and to provide a benchmark for measuring progress. It is intended to identify gaps 
in  existing  legislative frameworks and measures  that  should be updated to reflect  emerging 
threats44. The implementation and progress of the Strategy will be tracked through an Action 
Plan,  which  will  assign  responsibility,  measures  and  timelines  to  relevant  bodies.  It  is 

39   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 12. 
40   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). 

41   In 2021, the score was 74, while, in 2025, the score is 76. 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. 

42   Data from special Eurobarometer 573 (2026) and Flash Eurobarometer 582 (2026). 
43   Irish Government (2026a), written input. 2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p.8. 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.  Work on the strategy, developed by the Advisory Council 
against  Economic  Crime  and  Corruption,  was  set  up  in  2022  and  concluded  in  late  2025.  A  public 
consultation in relation to the Strategy was organised by the Department of Justice in late 2024. 

44   Irish Government (2026), written input, pp. 15-16. Country visit Ireland, Advisory Council and Department 
of Justice. The strategic objectives set out in the draft strategy include: data capture and threat assessment; 
information  exchange  and public  private  partnership;  improving  the  enforcement  and prosecution  toolkit; 
asset recovery and confiscation; and prevention, education, and awareness. 

7 

 
 
 
envisaged that the Strategy and Action Plan will have a five-year timeframe45. Civil society 
considers that the Strategy and its associated Action Plan should also assess the risks linked 
to the financial sector46. 

While cooperation among the competent authorities functions well, resource challenges 
remain for the investigation and prosecution of corruption offences. 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  reported  in  previous  years47,  the  available  resources  for  investigation  are 
considered insufficient. The GNECB and ABCU are still below planned staffing levels, and 
the ABCU described difficulties retaining staff48. The ABCU faces a significant challenge in 
analysing  very  large  and  complex  datasets  and  digital  communications.  This  slows 
investigations and limits capacity to progress multiple complex cases in parallel, highlighting 
the  need  for  more  advanced  data‑analytics  tools  and  specialist  data‑analysis  training49.  The 
ABCU reported the need for immunity programmes for corruption-related offences, similar to 
those that apply for criminal cartel offences under the Competition Act 200250. The Office of 
the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) handles corruption prosecutions, with its Special 
Financial  Crime  Unit  (SFCU)  focusing  on  complex  cases.  Staffing  levels  at  the  SFCU  are 
stable  and  efforts  are  ongoing  to  enhance  specialised  expertise  within  its  unit51.  The 
prosecution continues to highlight a shortage of forensic accountants52. As in previous years, 
challenges  persist  in  investigating  foreign  bribery  due  to  limited  cooperation  with  third 
countries in  mutual  legal assistance53.  The cooperation between the Corporate Enforcement 
Authority (CEA) and the Garda Síochána faced a temporary halt in Garda recruitment by the 
CEA  in  late  2024,  with  recruitment  resuming  in  202554.  In  July  2025,  the  Government 
introduced the Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill intended to strengthen the State’s 

45   Irish Government (2026a), written input. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, through 
its  secretariat  role  to  the  Advisory  Council,  will  support  coordination  and  oversight  of  delivery.  The 
Council may carry out periodic evaluations to assess the delivery and effectiveness of the measures. 

46   Country visit Ireland, Transparency International Ireland. In addition, Transparency International has also 
asked for an annual report on the implementation of the strategy, 2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 8. 

47    2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 8 and 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 12. 
48   Irish  Government  (2026a),  written  input  and  country  visit  Ireland,  GNECB.  In  February  2022,  125  staff 
were allocated to the GNECB. As of 2026, GNECB has 133 agents (18 more than in 2025), and 1 sergeant 
and  4  Gardai  are  attached  to  the  ABCU  (2  sergeants  and  2  Gardai  last  year).  As  of  February  2026,  the 
ABCU  is  working  on  15  active  investigations  with  an  additional  3  cases  under  assessment.  Four 
investigations  concern  bribery  of  foreign  public  officials  The  Hamilton  Review  recommended  to  ensure 
adequate resources to the GNECB. See Recommendation n. 4. There is a need for structured training and 
protected  career  paths  to  build  and  maintain  specialist  skills,  Transparency  International  Ireland  (2026), 
written input, p. 20. 

49   Country visit Ireland, GNECB. 
50   Country visit Ireland, GNECB and Transparency International Ireland (2026), written input, p.18. 
51   Country visit Ireland, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. In February 2026, the SFCU comprises 
eight  legal officers  and one  clerical  officer  (in 2025,  eight  prosecuting  solicitors).  Further  resources have 
been sought for 2026. 

52   Country  visit  Ireland,  Office  of  the  Director  of  Public  Prosecutions  Office,  2025  Rule  of  Law  Report, 

Ireland, p. 8 and 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 13. 

53   Country  visit  Ireland,  GNECB,  2025  Rule  of  Law  Report  Ireland,  p.  9  and  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report, 
Ireland, p. 14. In 2025, there were four ongoing investigations on foreign bribery, but no formal prosecution 
initiated.  Country  visit  Ireland,  GNECB  and  Office  of  the  Director  of  Public  Prosecutions,  2025  Rule  of 
Law Report Ireland, p. 9 and 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 14. 

54   Country visit Ireland, GNECB and CEA. Currently, one Detective Sergeant and seven Detective Gardaí are 
seconded to the CEA from the GNECB, and a competition is underway to fill secondment positions. A legal 
issue  concerning  civilian  oversight  of  police  prompted  the  CEA  to  pause  filling  Garda  vacancies  in  late 
2024 while awaiting legal clarification. After receiving legal advice in 2025, Garda recruitment resumed. 

8 

 
 
 
capacity to freeze and dispose of criminal assets, including in corruption cases. In particular, 
it would reduce the mandatory waiting period for final disposal of seized assets from seven 
years  to  two  years  and  strengthen  the  powers  of  the  Criminal  Assets  Bureau  to  restrain 
financial  accounts  and  detain  assets  in  the  course  of  proceeds  of  crime  investigation55. 
Ireland’s co-operation with the EPPO as a non-participating Member State continues to work 
well  and  the  2025  Programme  for  Government  commits  to  joining the  EPPO.  The  General 
Scheme  for  a  bill  to  enable  this  is  under  preparation  and  is  expected  to  be  published  in 
202656.  

Measures  to  strengthen  integrity  and  accountability  of  the  police  are  progressing 
effectively.  The  new  Office  of  the  Police  Ombudsman  (Fiosrú),  which  began  operating  in 
April  2025,  has  a  strengthened  mandate  compared  to  its  predecessor57.  Fiosrú  can  address 
statutory  recommendations  to  the  Policing  and  Community  Safety  Authority  (PCSA), 
including where an investigation raises concerns about the practices, policies or procedures or 
any general or systemic issues. The PCSA is an independent statutory agency whose role is to 
oversee  and  assess  the  performance  of  the  Garda  Síochána  in  relation  to  policing  services. 
Fiosrú  has  developed  guidance  and  procedures  for  investigations  under  the  new  statute58. 
Since  its  establishment,  it  has  dealt  with  some  cases  of  corruption  and  the  total  number  of 
investigations  has  increased  significantly  compared  to  the  volume  received  by  its 
predecessor59. New recruitment processes are expected in the coming months60. The internal 
investigation unit of the national police, the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU), is tasked 
with investigating and preventing corruption within the police. The GACU continued to carry 
out investigations and to deliver a learning programme and briefings on corruption to police 
personnel in 202561. An IT application was developed and installed on Garda mobile devices 
to report wrongdoings62. 

There  has  been  limited  further  progress  on  the  recommendation  to  strengthen  the 
existing  ethics  framework  and  to  strengthen  and  digitalise  the  asset  declarations 
system63. The Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and 
Digitalisation  is  preparing  a  general  scheme  of  legislation  for  reform  for  the  Government’s 
consideration64.  The  Government  included  an  ‘Ethics  Reform  Bill’  in  its  programme  of 
legislation for priority drafting in the 2025 summer session of the Parliament and in its 2026 

55   Irish  Government  (2026a),  written  input.  The  bill  has  completed  its  passage  through  Dáil  Éireann  on  17 

December 2025 and is currently proceeding through Seanad Éireann. 

56   Country visit Ireland, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, parliamentary question (2025) and 2025 

Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 9. 
57   2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 9. 
58   Irish Government (2026a), written input. 
59   Irish  Government  (2026a),  written  input  and  country  visit  Ireland,  Office  of  the  Police  Ombudsman 

(Fiosrú). However, corruption offences are not its main focus. 
60   Country visit Ireland, Office of the Police Ombudsman (Fiosrú). 
61   2025  Rule  of  Law  Report,  Ireland,  p.  9.  The  total  number  of  Garda  Personnel  attached  to  the  GACU  is 

currently 42 (36 Garda Members, six Garda Staff), Irish Government (2026a), written input. 

62   Country visit Ireland, GACU. 
63   The 2025 Rule of Law report recommended to Ireland to:  
-  “[c]ontinue  efforts  to  strengthen  the  existing  ethics  framework,  including  the  monitoring  and  enforcement 
capacity of the Standards in Public Office Commission”. Some further progress was previously assessed on 
this part of the recommendation in 2025, and some progress in 2024 and 2023. 

- “and to strengthen and digitalise the asset declarations system”. Limited progress was previously assessed on 

this part of the recommendation in 2025, and no progress in 2024. 

64   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 3 and country visit Ireland, Department of Public Expenditure, 

Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. 2023 Rule of Law Report, pp. 12-13. 

9 

 
 
 
spring session65. The legislative draft is anticipated to address key areas, including enhancing 
the legal duties of public officials to disclose actual and potential conflicts of interest, as well 
as reinforcing the power of the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO)66. Under this 
framework, the digitalisation of declarations is intended to ensure a streamlined process for 
the submission of periodic statements of interests, easier processing by SIPO and access by 
civil society, and to support the handling of complaints and investigations procedures67.   In 
parallel, the lists of directorships and positions in public bodies covered by the current ethics 
framework  were  updated  by  secondary  legislation  to  ensure  that  the  regime  continues  to 
operate  effectively  while  the  Government  finalises  its  proposals  for  reform68.  Despite  this 
necessary  adjustment,  this  amendment  does  not  include  further  measures  that  specifically 
strengthen the existing ethics framework. The staffing level of the Standards in Public Office 
Commission (SIPO) remained stable. SIPO considered its  resources to be adequate69, while 
stakeholders raised concerns in this regard70. In the meantime, efforts to initiate digitalisation 
of asset declarations are being considered within the current framework. In this regard, SIPO 
is exploring a possible shift from paper-based declarations by 202771. Given the state of play 
as  regards  the  digitalisation  under  the  current  framework,  there  has  been  limited  further 
progress  on  the  implementation  of  the  recommendation  to  strengthen  the  existing  ethics 
framework and to strengthen and digitalise the asset declarations system. 

Implementation  of  amendments  to  the  lobbying  regulation  continued.  As  regards 
cooling-off provisions, SIPO considers that the introduction of sanctions, effective since June 
2024,  has  ensured  a  high  level  of  compliance  with  the  need  to  obtain  consent  to  waive  the 
cooling-off period. This was particularly evident following the 2025 general election, when a 
number of special advisers and Ministers left their posts in the Government72. 

The  review  of  the  Electoral  Act  is  still  in  progress,  with  the  Electoral  Commission 
expected to provide recommendations by mid-2026. The review will consider whether the 
political party financing framework will be included and whether the Electoral Commission 

65   Country  visit  Ireland,  Department  of  Public  Expenditure,  Infrastructure,  Public  Service  Reform  and 
Digitalisation and 2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 10. Civil society organisations continue to urge the 
Government to strengthen the ethics framework Country visit Ireland, Irish Council for Civil Liberties and 
Transparency International Ireland. Irish Council for Civil Liberties Ireland and Transparency International 
Ireland (2026), written inputs, pp. 17-18 and pp. 11 and 13-14, respectively. 

66   2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p.10. 
67   2025  Rule  of  Law  Report  Ireland,  pp.  10-11  and  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report,  Ireland,  p.  17.  Civil  society 
considers that the statements  should include both assets and liabilities. Public office  holders, members of 
Parliament and a range of other public officials are subject to asset and interest declaration rules under the 
current Ethics Acts (i.e. the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and the Standards in Public Office Act 2001). 
68   Irish Government (2026), written  input, p. 3 and country visit Ireland, Department of Public Expenditure, 
Infrastructure,  Public  Service  Reform  and  Digitalisation.  See  S.I.  No.  667/2025  which  took  effect  on  1st 
January 2026. This update  reflects personnel and organisational changes within the public service, taking 
into account of the creation or dissolution of public bodies. 

69   Country visit Ireland, SIPO. 
70   Irish Council for Civil Liberties (2026), written input, pp. 17-18 and country visit Ireland, Irish Council for 

Civil Liberties. 

71   Country visit Ireland, SIPO and Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service  Reform 
and Digitalisation. The Ethics Acts rule how the form of the annual statements of interests required of the 
members  of  the  legislature  is  to  be  determined:  Section  5  of  the  1995  Act  provides  that  this  must  be  a 
statement in writing, in such form as may be determined by the Clerk (i.e. the most senior administrative 
official) of each House, after consultation with the Committee on Members Interests of the relevant House 
and the Standards in Public Office Commission. Irish Government (2026b), written input. 

72   Country visit Ireland, SIPO. SIPO did not have to exercise its sanctioning power for breaches of the cooling-

off provisions. 

10 

 
 
 
should take over certain functions of the SIPO in this area73. In the public consultation on the 
draft  Research  Programme  2024-2026,  several  respondents  to  the  public  consultation 
suggested  to  review  political  funding  and/or  spending  regulations74.  The  Electoral 
Commission  is  expected  to  publish  the  report  of  its  review  by  mid-2026,  with 
recommendations  that  would  form  the  basis  of  new  legislation,  as  mentioned  in  the 
Programme for Government75.  

The statutory review of the Protected Disclosures Act is starting in 2026, with a public 
consultation  to  gather  evidence  on  whistleblower  experience.  As  part  of  the  statutory 
review of the Protected Disclosures Act, a public consultation will be launched at the end of 
2026 to gather further evidence on whistleblower experience, including retaliation, workplace 
culture,  and  the  effectiveness  of  support  mechanisms76.  A  2025  survey  by  Transparency 
International  Ireland  found  that  37.5%  of  the  whistleblowers  contacting  them  reported 
suffering  some  form  of  penalisation77.  Cooperation  between  government  and  civil  society 
remains constructive and forms an important part of the national whistleblowing framework, 
funding,  providing 
with  Transparency 
comprehensive  and  impartial  information,  specialist  guidance,  and  free  legal  advice  to 
individuals78. The provisional figures on whistleblowing for 2025 point to a further increase 
in disclosures79. 

Ireland,  supported  by  public 

International 

The  Government  aims  to  create  a  system  for  identifying  bid-rigging,  which  is 
considered a risk area. Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU shows that 32% 
of  companies  in  Ireland  (EU  average  30%)  think  that  corruption  has  prevented  them  from 
winning a public tender or a public procurement contract in practice in the last three years80. 
72% 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  procurement  cases81.  The 
Single  Market  and  Competitiveness  Scoreboard  on  access  to  public  procurement  in  Ireland 
reports  26%  of  single  bids  for  2025  (EU  average  27%).  In  December  2025,  a  public 
consultation  was  launched  to  seek  views  on  tackling  bid  rigging  and  in  particular  on  the 
safeguards that should be implemented. The main purpose of the proposed bill is to empower 
the  Competition  and  Consumer  Protection  Commission  (CCPC)  to  screen  tender  bids  for 

73   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. 2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, pp. 11-12. 
74   Electoral Commission, Summary of Research Submissions. 
75   Country visit Ireland, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, 2025 Rule of Law Report, 
Ireland, pp. 11-12 and 2024 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, p. 19. The recommendations are likely to clarify if 
the political party financing framework would be part of the review of the Electoral Act. 

76   The  Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act  2022 entered into force in 2023. Irish Government (2026b), 

written input and priority questions, Dáil Éireann debate  (2025). 

77   The TII survey drew upon data from 2,800 callers to its “Speak Up Helpline” between 2020 and 2024, and 
the results of its 2023 Integrity At Work Survey Speak Up Report 2025. The percentage of 37.5% of clients 
of  the  Speak  Up  Helpline  who  were  categorised  as  whistleblowers  between  2011  and  2024  and  who 
reported that they had been subject to retaliation represented 157 clients.  

78   Irish Government (2026b), written input and Country visit Ireland, Transparency International Ireland.  
79   Irish Government (2026b), written input.  
80   Flash  Eurobarometer  582  on  Businesses’  attitudes  towards  corruption  in  the  EU  (2026).  This  is  2 

percentage points above the EU average. 
81   Figure 59, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard. 

11 

 
 
 
patterns  of  bid-rigging82.  In  addition,  a  National  Strategy  for  Public  Procurement  is  being 
developed. One of the strategy's key priorities is transparency, with a focus on developing a 
new framework for public procurement data that will ensure the availability of high-quality 
data  to  facilitate  reporting,  policy-decision  making  and  contracting  authorities’  auditory 
obligations83. The other sectors84 which have been identified by stakeholders as primary areas 
of  risk  for  corruption  are  private  procurement,  public  utilities  and  natural  resources,  sport 
manipulation85,  planning  and  development  sectors86,  large-scale  maritime  infrastructure 
projects87 and offshore energy88 and the financial sector89. 

III.  MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM  

The media regulator continues to function independently. Now in its third year running, 
Coimisiún  na  Meán  (the  Media  Commission)  continues  to  regulate  broadcasters,  video-on-
demand providers and online platforms90. This year, the Media Commission will be entrusted 
with further functions and tasks in view of the new Media Regulation Bill91. Since the Online 
Safety  Code  came  into  effect  fully  in  July  2025,  the  media  regulator  has  also  begun  its 
supervisory tasks92. Staff numbers have increased in the past year, but human resources are 
under review in view of the additional tasks93. The Media Commission continues to maintain 
its  financial  stability  and  independence  through  the  self-financing  system  based  on  levies 
established in 2025.  

The reform related to the governance and funding framework for public service media 
continued,  with  a  Bill  under  consideration  by  the  Parliament94.  The  Broadcasting 
(Amendment)  Bill,  which  aims  to  increase  governance  independence  and  reform  the 
assessment  of  funding  for  public  service  media,  was  published  in  May  2026  and  it  is 
currently in the initial stages before the lower house of the Irish Parliament. With a view to 
aligning  with  the  European  Media  Freedom  Act  (EMFA),  the  Bill  introduces  a  three-year 
funding system for the Ireland’s public service media providers, RTÉ and TG4, requiring the 
Media Commission to carry out a review of the adequacy of funding every three years, with 
the  possibility  to  make  recommendations  to  the  Government,  to  which  the  Government 
would  be  required  to  respond.  While  stakeholders  welcomed  this  as  a  positive  step  in 
allowing for better planning and future proofing of the public broadcaster, they stated that the 

82   Competition  and  Consumer  Protection  Commission  (2026),  written  input,  p.  5;  Parliamentary  question 
(2026).  The  Hamilton  Review  recommended  specific  legislation  be  introduced  to  enable  the  collection, 
collation  and  analysis  of  all  public  procurement  data  to  detect  and  deter  bid-rigging.  See  Department  of 
Justice (2021), Hamilton Review, recommendation no. 18.  

83   Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (2026), written input, pp. 4-5. See “Policy statement: 

developing a new public procurement strategy for Ireland” published on 26 June 2024. 

84   In particular, reference was made to procurement on health service. Country visit Ireland, Irish Council for 

Civil Liberties and Irish Council for Civil Liberties Ireland (2026), written input, pp. 17-18. 

85   Country visit Ireland, GNECB. 
86   Country visit Ireland, Environmental Law Ireland Initiative and Transparency International Ireland (2026), 

written input, pp. 17-18.  

87   Transparency International Ireland (2026), written input, pp. 17-18.  
88   Country visit Ireland, Environmental Law Ireland Initiative. 
89   Transparency International Ireland (2026), written input, pp. 21-22. 
90   The Media Commission was designated as Digital Services Coordinator in February 2024. 
91   Reference was made to expected enactment by July 2026, Country visit (2026), Irish Government.  
92   Irish Government (2026b), written input. 
93   Country visit Ireland, Irish Media Regulator (Coimisiún na Meán). 
94   The  2025  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  Ireland  to  “[c]omplete  the  reform  to  provide  funding  for 
public service media that is appropriate for the realisation of its public service remit while guaranteeing its 
independence”. Some progress was previously assessed on this recommendation in 2025. 

12 

 
 
 
reform  does  not  go  far  enough  to  provide  consistent  and  stable  funding95.  Moreover,  in 
response to the revelations of corporate governance failings at RTÉ in 2023, the Bill aims to 
increase  independent  governance  of  public  service  media,  but  concerns  over  the  possible 
negative  impact  on  independence  of  the  envisaged  regulatory  oversight  were  raised96.  The 
Bill  includes  the  establishment  of  the  Media  Fund  (to  be  named  Ciste na Meán)  on  a 
legislative  basis,  foreseen  for  the  beginning  of  2027.  The  Fund  already  operates  on  an 
administrative  basis  and  has  established  three  journalism  schemes,  a  digital  transformation 
scheme,  and  a  scheme  to  support  the  provision  of  news  and  current  affairs  content  on 
commercial  television.  A  community  media  scheme  will  also  be  established  in  2026.  The 
schemes  together  are  worth  approximately  EUR  19  million  in  2026.  There  has  thus  been 
significant progress in relation to the recommendation. 

New  proposed  legislation  to  address  media  market  concentrations,  transparency  of 
media  ownership  and  state  advertising  was  published  in  February  2026.  The  Media 
Regulation  Bill,  currently  passing  through  the  upper  houses  of  the  Irish  Parliament,  is 
expected  to  transfer  responsibility  for  the  assessment  of  media  mergers  to  the  Media 
Commission  from  the  Minister  of  Culture,  Communications  and  Sport,  with  a  view  to 
aligning  with  the  European  Media  Freedom  Act  (EMFA).  The  Media  Regulation  Bill  is 
expected  to  establish  a  statutory  obligation  for  the  Media  Regulator  to  maintain  a  media 
ownership  database.  Stakeholders  stated  that  while  trust  in  media  remains  relatively  high, 
data  also  points  to  high  levels  of  ownership  concentration  and  a  lack  of  transparent 
information on beneficial ownership97. According to the latest Media Pluralism Monitor data, 
the  transparency  of  media  ownership  is  regarded  as  medium-high  risk  (51%,  down  three 
percentage  points  compared  to  the  previous  year).The  Media  Regulation  Bill  will  also 
designate the Media Commission to carry out the monitoring and reporting of the allocation 
of state advertising expenditure to media service providers and providers of online platforms. 
The  Media  Commission  published  a  draft  Media  Pluralism  Policy  in  202598,  setting  out  a 
definition  of  media  pluralism,  risks  and  challenges  in  a  series  of  outcome  areas,  and 
indicators  by  which  the  media  regulator  proposes  to  measure  the  state  of  media  pluralism. 
The draft is expected to be finalised in 2026. 

Ireland  has  fully  implemented  the  recommendation  to  finalise  the  reform  of  the 
Defamation Act99, introducing safeguards that counter strategic lawsuits against public 
participation (SLAPPs). The amending Act was signed into law on 19 February  2026 and 
reforms the defamation regime in Ireland: it applies protections to both domestic and cross-
border SLAPP cases100. Key reforms include measures to encourage dispute resolution, new 
and amended defences including for live broadcasting and publication in the public interest 
and  safeguards  to  prevent  SLAPPs  in  defamation  cases.  It  aims  to  reduce  legal  costs  and 
delays,  as  well  as  support  easier  access  to  justice  both  for  those  whose  reputations  are 
unfairly  attacked  and  for  those  subject  to  unfounded  defamation  proceedings.  It  will  also 
allow  for  more  predictable  and  proportionate  redress  in  defamation  cases.  The  abolition  of 

95   2025 Rule of Law Report, Ireland, noted that there was dissatisfaction with the Government’s decision to 

maintain the TV licence fee funding mode. 

96   Country visit Ireland, RTE (public service media). 
97   Liberties (2026), written input, p. 19. 
98   Coimisiún na Meán draft Media Pluralism Policy. 
99   The 2025 Rule of Law Report recommended to Ireland to “[f]inalise the reform of the Defamation Act to 
improve  the  professional  environment  for  journalists  taking  into  account  European  standards  on  the 
protection of journalists”. Some further progress was previously assessed on this recommendation in 2025, 
and significant progress in 2024 and some progress in 2023. 

100   Department of Justice (2026), written input, pp. 3-4. 

13 

 
 
 
juries  in  High  Court  cases  was  criticised  by  some  stakeholders,  however101.  In  parallel,  the 
General Scheme of the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill was published on 
11  February  2026  in  the  context  of  the  transposition  of  the  EU  Anti-SLAPP  Directive,  in 
respect  of all other civil  and commercial proceedings  outside of defamation  proceedings102. 
Considering these developments, this recommendation has been fully implemented.  

The  safety  of  journalists  remains  stable;  nevertheless,  some  challenges  affecting  the 
professional  environment  for  journalists  were  reported.  The  Media  Engagement  Group 
(MEG)  continues  to  function  as  a  forum  for  cooperation  between  the  profession  and  the 
police force, providing a mechanism for journalists and media organisations to log attacks or 
threats,  also  in  terms  of  initiating  investigations.  The  MEG  continues  to  hold  trainings  for 
media organisations on safety during demonstrations, online safety and security advice103. In 
2025 a total of 9 incidents were reported to the MEG, however, no criminal complaint was 
formally  made104.  Stakeholders  noted  some  hostility  from  the  public  towards  journalists  at 
protests that are of a more unpredictable nature105. Moreover, with regards to the protection 
of sources, the new Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill published in December 2025 which aims to 
provide a statutory framework for seizure and examination of electronic devices, introducing 
a judicially supervised process for privileged information, also attracted criticism over fears it 
will have a detrimental effect on press freedoms106. Since the publication of the 2025 Rule of 
Law Report, no new alerts were registered by the Council of Europe’s platform to promote 
the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. The Mapping Media Freedom platform 
reported  a  conviction  in  the  case  of  threat  and  harassment  against  three  female  journalists 
dating  back  to  2023107,  but  journalism  as  a  career  remains  subject  to  a  degree  of  precarity, 
with direct and online threats to journalists with a gendered dimension remaining an issue108. 
Ireland  continues  to  score  well  with  regards  to  the  journalistic  profession,  standards  and 
protection in the Media Pluralism Monitor, which ranks it at low risk (30%).  

IV.  OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES 

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has continued its activities 
but remains concerned about the shortage of resources. IHREC has advanced its work on 
five  strategic  priorities  in  2024:  economic  equality,  justice,  respect  and  recognition, 
futureproofing,  and  public  sector  duty109.  IHREC  considers  that  it  still  lacks  sufficient 
resources  to  address  all  its  tasks  as  Ireland’s  National  Human  Rights  Institution110  and 
National  Equality  Body111.  IHREC  noted  a  gradual  weakening  of  the  cooperation  with  the 
authorities, including cases where the legislator did not properly engage or allow enough time 
to provide substantive input112. 

101   Country visit Ireland, Irish Press Council; Liberties (2026), written input, p. 20. 
102   Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Press release of 11 February 2026. 
103   Country visit Ireland, National Union of Journalists. 
104   Irish Government (2026b), written input. 
105   Country visit Ireland, Independent Broadcasters Ireland.  
106   Liberties (2026), written input pp. 21-22; The Journal (2026).  
107   Mapping Media Freedom, Ireland country profile. 
108   Media Pluralism Monitor (2026), Ireland country profile.  
109   IHREC (2025), p. 9. 
110   Accredited with A status by the UN Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). 
111   Country visit Ireland, IHREC. 
112   IHREC (2026), written input. 

14 

 
 
 
More  than  two  thirds  of  companies  surveyed  in  Ireland  express  confidence  in  the 
effectiveness of investment protection. 81% of companies are very or fairly confident that 
investments  are  protected  by  law  and  courts,  a  figure  which  has  slightly  decreased  in 
comparison with 2025 (83%)113. As regards authorities relevant for economic operators, 73% 
of  companies  perceive  the  level  of  independence  of  the  national  competition  authority  (the 
Commission for Competition and Consumer Protection) as very or fairly good, a figure which 
has slightly decreased in comparison with 2025 (75%)114. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction 
in  several  business-related  cases,  including  in  cases  related  to  public  procurement,  public 
concessions, public contracts and economic regulation. A number of judicial mechanisms to 
improve  efficiency  are  available  in  these  cases,  including  the  possibility  to  apply  interim 
measures115. 

On 1 January 2026, Ireland had 2 leading judgments of the European Court of Human 
Rights pending implementation, the same number as the previous year116. At that time, 
Ireland had no leading judgments from the past 10 years that remained pending as the only 2 
pending  judgments  were  over  10  years  old.  The  average  time  that  the  judgments  had  been 
pending implementation was 13 years and 7 months (compared to 12 years and 7 months in 
2025)117.  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 right to  a 
fair  trial  within  a  reasonable  time118.  As  regards  the  respect  of  payment  deadlines,  on  31 
December  2025  there  was  no  case  awaiting  confirmation  of  payments  (the  same  as  in 
2024)119.  On  17  June  2026,  the  number  of  leading  judgments  pending  implementation  had 
remained at 2120.  

Further initiatives have been pursued to promote a rule of law culture. The Department 
of  Foreign  Affairs  launched  the  Enlargement  and  European  Fundamental  Values  (EEFV) 
Fund in 2024, with the objective of funding eligible projects and activities, including support 
for  the  rule  of  law,  in  Member  States,  enlargement  countries,  and  through  the  Council  of 
Europe. In 2025, funding was granted to 32 projects in 15 countries in Central, Eastern and 
Southeast  Europe  and  the  Caucasus121.  A  three-year  “Ireland  for  EU  Enlargement” 
programme  has  been  funded  to  assist  officials  from  selected  EU  candidate  and  potential 
candidate countries in their work to align with EU standards, including a focus on ensuring 
adherence to the principles of the rule of law122. 

Limited progress was made on the recommendation to address legal obstacles related to 

113   Figures 52 and 53, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard. Only 11% and 10% of the surveyed investors respectively 
perceive concerns about quality, efficiency or independence of justice and frequent changes in legislation or 
concerns about the quality of the law-making process as a reason for the lack of confidence in investment 
protection.  

114   Figure 60, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard.  
115   Figures 66 and 67, 2026 EU Justice Scoreboard. 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. 

116   For an explanation of the supervision process, see the website of the Council of Europe.   
117   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 2026. EIN (2026), written input, pp. 5-6. 

118   Judgment of the ECtHR, 31333/06, McFarlane v. Ireland, pending implementation since 2010.  
119   Council of Europe (2026), p. 163.   
120   Data according to the online database of the Council of Europe (HUDOC). 
121   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 48. 
122   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 48. 

15 

 
 
 
access to funding for civil society organisations123. Civic space in Ireland continues to be 
rated  as  ‘open’  by  Civicus124.  Civil  society  organisations  continue  voicing  their  concerns 
about  the  limitations  imposed  by  the  Electoral  Act,  which  has  been  interpreted  to  extend  a 
ban  on  funding  for  “political  purposes”  to  donations  to  civil  society  organisations125. 
Stakeholders have pointed out that the long-awaited reform of the 1997 Electoral Act, which 
is  expected  to  address  restrictions  on  civil  society  funding,  has  yet  to  materialise126.  The 
Electoral  Commission  continues  to  conduct  a  comprehensive  review  of  the  1997  Electoral 
Act,  and  concerns  in  relation  to  civil  society  organisations  will  be  included  in  the  wider 
considerations of the financial aspects of politics and democracy in Ireland, with the findings 
and recommendations expected to  be published in a report127. Overall, limited progress  has 
been made on the 2025 recommendation. 

123   The 2025 Rule of Law Report recommended Ireland to “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”. Some 
further progress was previously assessed on this recommendation in 2025 and 2024, and some progress in 
2023. 

124   Ireland’s  score  is  89/100.  Ratings  by  Civicus  are  on  a  five-category  scale  defined  as:  open,  narrowed, 

obstructed, repressed and closed. 

125   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. 

126   Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2026), pp. 414-415. 
127   Irish Government (2026), written input, p. 4. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order* 

* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2026 Rule of Law Report 
can  be 
  https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2026-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en   

found  at 

CEPEJ (2026), Study on the judicial systems in EU Member States.  

Civicus, Monitor tracking civic space – Ireland, https://monitor.civicus.org/country/ireland/. 

Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2026), Liberties Rule of Law Report.  

Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2025), Liberties Rule of Law Report. 

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC)  (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law 
Report. 

Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Council  of  Europe:  GRECO  (2025),  Fourt  evaluation  round:  Second  addendum  to  the  second 
compliance  report  Ireland,  https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/a992f7ad/GrecoRC420252-Final-
eng-2nd_Add_to_the_2nd_Compliance_Report-Ireland-PUBLIC.pdf. 

Council  of  Europe:  GRECO  (2014),  Fourth  evaluation  round:  Corruption  prevention  in  respect  of 
members 
prosecutors. 
https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000
016806c6921. 

parliament, 

judges 

and 

of 

Council of Europe (2026), Supervision of the execution of judgments decisions of the European Court 
of Human Rights – 19th Annual Report of the Committee of Ministers – 2025, https://rm.coe.int/2025-
annual-report/48802b1633.  

Courts Proceedings (Delays) Act 2024 
https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2024/act/12/enacted/en/html. 

Courts Service (2025), Annual report 2024, https://www.courts.ie/docs/default-source/courts-annual-
reports/courts-service-annual-report-2024.pdf.  

Criminal  Law,  Civil  Law 
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2026/1/ 

and  Defence 

(Miscellaneous 

Provisions)  Bill 

2026, 

Department of Culture, Communication and Sport (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Department 
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/hamilton-review-group-implementation-plan.pdf. 

(2021),  Hamilton 

Review  Group 

Justice 

Implementation 

of 

Plan, 

Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (2026), Input for 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Department  of  Justice,  Home  Affairs  and  Migration  (2026),  Press  release  on  anti-SLAPP  Bill, 
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/press-releases/minister-jim-
ocallaghan-announces-passage-of-defamation-bill-through-oireachtas-and-publishes-general-scheme-
of-slapps-bill/. 

Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (2026), Press release on general scheme of the 
Civil  Reform  Bill,  https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/press-
releases/minister-jim-ocallaghan-publishes-civil-reform-bill-to-overhaul-judicial-review-and-
streamline-courts-processes/. 

Department  of  Justice,  Home  Affairs  and  Migration (2025),  Press  release  on  review  of  Civil  Legal 
Aid 
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-and-migration/press-
releases/minister-jim-ocallaghan-publishes-historic-review-of-civil-legal-aid-scheme/ 

Scheme, 

17 

 
 
 
 
Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (2025), Report on Civil Legal Aid Scheme. 

Department  of  Justice,  Home  Affairs  and  Migration  (2023),  Press  release  on  independent  review 
group’s report on Offences Against the State Act, https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-
affairs-and-migration/publications/offences-against-the-state-act-independent-review-groups-reports/. 

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  (2026),  Spring  2026  Government  Legislation  Programme, 
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/2d498498/Government_Legislation_Programme_Spring_2026.p
df. 

Department  of 
https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/government-legislation-programme-spring-2025.pdf. 

the  Taoiseach  (2025b),  Spring  2025  Government  Legislation  Programme, 

Commission 

Electoral 
https://www.electoralcommission.ie/app/uploads/2024/07/RESEARCH-PROGRAMME-
SUMMARY-OF-SUBMISSIONS.pdf.  

Summary 

Research 

(2026), 

of 

Submissions, 

Environmental Implementation Review (2025), Country Report for Ireland. 

Environmental  Law  Ireland,  initiative  hosted  at  An  Taisce  (2026),  Input  for  the  2026  Rule  of  Law 
Report. 

European Commission (2026), EU Justice Scoreboard. 

European Commission (2026), Flash Eurobarometer 582 on businesses’ attitudes towards corruption 
in the EU.  

European Commission (2025), Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in 
Ireland. 

European Commission (2024), Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in 
Ireland. 

European Commission (2023), Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in 
Ireland. 

European Commission (2026), Special Eurobarometer 573 on citizens’ attitudes towards corruption 
in the EU. 

European Implementation Network (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Free Legal Aid Centres (FLAC) (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report.  

General Scheme of the Civil Reform Bill, https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-justice-home-affairs-
and-migration/press-releases/minister-jim-ocallaghan-publishes-civil-reform-bill-to-overhaul-judicial-
review-and-streamline-courts-processes/ 

Irish Council for Civil Liberties Ireland (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report.  

Irish Government (1997), Electoral Act 1997. 

Irish Government (2026), Input from Ireland for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Irish Government (2026a), additional input from Ireland for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Irish Government (2026b), additional input from Ireland for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Irish  Human  Rights  and  Equality  Commission  (IHREC)  (2026),  Input  for  the  2026  Rule  of  Law 
Report. 

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) (2025), Annual Report. 

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) (2022), Annual Report.  

18 

 
 
Irish Media Regulator (Coimisiún na Meán) (2025), Draft Media Pluralism Policy. 

Irish Media Regulator (Coimisiún na Meán) (2026), Input for 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Irish Media Regulator (Coimisiún na Meán) (2026b), additional input for 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Judgment of the ECtHR, 31333/06, McFarlane v. Ireland. 

Law  Society  Ireland  (2026),  Justice  Indicators  Report,  https://www.lawsociety.ie/policy-and-law-
reform/justice-indicators-report/.  

Law Society of Ireland (2026), Submission on Civil Legal Aid for Joint Committee on Justice, Home 
Affairs and Migration. 

Mapping Media Freedom (2026), Ireland Country Profile, https://www.mappingmediafreedom.org/. 

Offences Against the State Acts. 

Office of Government Procurement (2024), Policy statement: developing a new public procurement 
strategy  for  Ireland,  https://www.gov.ie/en/office-of-government-procurement/publications/policy-
statement-developing-a-new-public-procurement-strategy-for-ireland/. 

Parliamentary  question 
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-02-10/472/. 

(2026),  Nos.  472 

to  475, 

asked 
Parliamentary 
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2025-11-25/660/. 

question 

(2025), 

660, 

N. 

asked  on  10  February  2026, 

on 

25 

November 

2025, 

Priority 
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2025-12-11/2/#spk_14  

Thursday, 

questions, 

Éireann 

debate, 

Dáil 

11 

December 

2025 

Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act (2022), Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022. 

The Bar of Ireland (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report.  

Transparency 
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2025. 

International 

(2026), 

Corruption 

Perceptions 

Index 

2025, 

Transparency International Ireland (2026), Input for the 2026 Rule of Law Report. 

Transparency 
https://transparency.ie/resources/whistleblowing#Reports. 

International 

(2025), 

Speak 

Up 

Report 

2025, 

Written  Answer  (2026)  from  Minister  for  Justice,  Home  Affairs  and  Migration  to  Parliamentary 
Questions  722  to  727,  https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-03-24/722/#pq-answers-
722_723_724_725_726_727 

19 

 
 
Annex II: Country visit to Ireland 

The Commission services held virtual meetings in February 2026 with: 

•  Advisory Council on Economic Crime and Corruption 
•  AJI 
•  Association of Judges 
•  Bar of Ireland 
•  Chambers Ireland 
•  Chief Justice 
•  Coimisiún na Meán 
•  Competition and Consumer Protection Commission  
•  Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) 
•  Courts Service 
•  Department of Culture, Communication and Sport 
•  Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment 
•  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
•  Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage 
•  Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration 
•  Department  of  Public  Expenditure,  Infrastructure,  Public  Service  Reform  and 

Digitalisation 

Independent Broadcasters Ireland 
Irish Council for Civil Liberties 
Irish Environmental Network 
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) 
Irish Press Council 
Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) 

•  Environmental Law Ireland Initiative 
•  Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU) 
•  Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•  Judicial Council 
•  Law Society of Ireland 
•  Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) 
•  National Union of Journalists 
•  Office of the Comptroller and the Auditor General 
•  Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and SFU 
•  Office of the Police Ombudsman 
•  RTE (Public Services Media) 
•  Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) 
•  The Press Council of Ireland 
•  Transparency International 

* The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings:  

•  Civil Liberties Union for Europe 
•  Civil Society Europe 

20 

 
 
 
•  End FGM EU 
•  European Civic Forum 
•  European Partnership for Democracy 
•  Human Rights Watch 
• 
ILGA-Europe 
• 
International Federation for Human Rights 
•  Philea - Philanthropy Europe Association 
•  Transparency International EU 

21