Ireland has been named the "best destination in Europe" by the 18th annual Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.

This marks the seventh year in a row that Ireland has been named the "best destination in Europe" by the awards.

Ireland beat off competition from the rest of Europe to take the number one spot in the "best destination in Europe" category. Read more 

The Department of Agriculture Food and Marine have sent Chambers a document that includes information about SPS checks between UK and NI for products arriving into NI. Click here to download

​The EI Brexit Unit has put together a Top 20 Brexit FAQ document with guidance and signposting to relevant information, articles, recorded webinars and links to additional information. Topics include:

• Customs procedures,
• Customs declaration forms,
• Commodity codes,
• EORI in Ireland and the UK,
• Incoterms,
• Trade with Northern Ireland,
• The UK Landbridge
• VAT. 

Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020 extended to 9th June 2021
Continuation of virtual general meetings
Threshold at which a company is deemed unable to pay its debts remains at €50,000
Extension of examinership to 150 days remains in place
The interim period of the Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Act 2020 has been extended to 9th June 2021 following Government approval this week. The Act makes temporary amendments to the Companies Act 2014 and the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1893 to address issues arising as a result of Covid-19.  Read More

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's Retail Roundtable have issued the following updates:
 
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) document
A Brexit Notice in relation to storage, distribution, traceability, labelling and identification of food from the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland, which you can download:
CLICK HERE

This document is aimed at food businesses storing or distributing food from the UK, (excluding Northern Ireland) and sets out the requirements of food legislation for the storage/distribution of food as well as the requirements for traceability, labelling and identification of foods.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has sent through customs advice in relation to Irish Ports

Please see below for information:
PDF: Customs Advice from the Revenue Commissioners for Drivers using Dublin Port: CLICK HERE
PDF: Customs Advice from the Revenue Commissioners for Drivers using Rosslare Europort: CLICK HERE
PDF: Six key messages for hauliers from the Dublin Port Company: HERE
WEBINAR: The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine hosted a webinar on 10th December: A Step to Step Guide on how to bring your consignment through Dublin Port which is available to watch on YouTube - CLICK HERE

​Munster Vales will be running a Community Engagement Pilot Programme beginning in January 2021 and you are welcome to participate. The programme will be delivered online in a series of interactive community engagement workshops using Zoom. The workshops will run from January to November and will be facilitated by Cillian Murphy Consulting.
The workshops are designed to:

• raise awareness of tourism, both in general and within the Munster Vales regions,
• identify the vision for each community as to what tourism should deliver for them,
• identifying and discussing the suitability of potential local assets to support the delivery of that vision,
• to identify opportunities to either create tourism businesses themselves or to invite appropriate external partnerships to maximise the community benefit of those assets

• to guide the tourism industry locally as to what developments are considered to be appropriate and will have the support of the wider community

The outcomes for this work should include:

• engaging with wider non tourism communities in each region of the Munster Vales (MV) tourism destination,
• building relationships,
• opening clear communication channels,
• building trust,
• identifying potential opportunities, and risks, for both the tourism and non tourism communities,
• raising awareness of the potential of tourism,
• empowering community groups/clusters and creating an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable and confident in discussing how tourism can be best used to create a sustainable future for where they live

In short, this process will deliver a clear sense of local ownership with regards to tourism for the communities involved and a toolbox that will equip Munster Vales, and the industry, to make more community focussed decisions for the future.
Please register your interest via email triona.omahony@tipperarycoco.ie or phone 087-1189206 for more information.

The action taken by the ECB is welcome news. This injection of funding will help maintain liquidity and the low interest rates which are available to Eurozone member states like Ireland, allowing us to support our high level of public service, employment supports, and economic stimulus programmes through this period of straitened fiscal returns.
This move by the ECB highlights the strength of being part of a strong, dynamic and collaborative community of nations which take concerted, collective action when faced with problems that exceed the capacity of individual members to manage. While some believe that even greater resources could have been made available, County Tipperary Chamber welcomes ECB’s President Lagarde’s commitment to making further PEPP credit available should such an expansion be needed. This boost in liquidity will provide support for essential government spending that will help minimise the economic impact and financial burden on households and businesses.
The policy of supporting banks through the lending of money to them at negative rates, conditional upon them continuing to lend money to businesses and consumers, will also reinforce the resilience of the Eurozone. This unprecedented support from the ECB highlights the key role that the EU has to play in supporting member state economies as they reckon with turmoil caused by exogenous, external factors which harm our wellbeing.
In light of the deepening divisions which have emerged over the last few weeks during the EU/UK trade negotiations there is a hard, and probably chaotic, Brexit looming in January. Even if a minimal trade deal is agreed this week there will be a dramatic effect on the Eurozone economy, an effect which will be most deeply felt in Ireland. In the best-case scenario, businesses here that trade with, or source supplies from, Britain are going to experience a level of disruption which has not been seen since World War II.
 
Today’s announcement will ensure that even if Britain leaves on World Trade Organisation terms, the cost of the deficit borrowing that Ireland is likely to need next year should not be detrimental to the long-term sustainability of our public finances.”