EU trade ministers gather today in Luxembourg to discuss how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s tariff assault. Everything from US meat, cereals, wine, wood and clothing as well as chewing gum, dental floss, vacuum cleaners and toilet paper are up alongside Harley Davidson motorbikes, boats, denim jeans, and soybeans. Simon Harris is expected to call for restraint while some colleagues will be looking for a more assertive approach in advance of a vote. Jack Power analyses what is likely to happen next.
Closer to home, Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy is calling for business supports and a refocusing on measures, including regulation, that businesses say are holding back productivity.
Changing EU rules means office building owners need to look at making them more energy efficient or unoccupiable. A Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland report looks at the costs and benefits of retrofitting.
Having seen mortgage lending jump 41 per cent last year, Irish credit unions are now waiting for the Central Bank to act on proposed reforms that would loosen the reins of crisis-era restrictions. Ian Curran reports
Church of the Oak Distillery in Monasterevin has named a new chief executive, industry veteran Enda O’Sullivan. He will be answering to investors including Paddy McKillen Snr, Bono and Richard Burrows.
Medytrak, a Galway-based medtech that numbers developer and solicitor Noel Smyth among its investors, is eyeing up a landmark €5 million funding as it looks to expand business for its patient monitoring/information gathering system. Ciarán Hancock reports.
And Norwegian consultancy firm DNV is set to create 200 jobs in Ireland to expand the business here after the 2023 acquisition of Dublin-based Enviroguide.
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