Goal 6:WO R KING AMBIT IOUSL Y ACR OSS GO VE RNMENT WIT H

Goal 6:WO R KING AMBIT IOUSL Y ACR OSS GO VE RNMENT WIT H O UR E U AND INT E R NATIONAL P AR TNERS T O ACH IEV E P R OGRE SS IN E U AND INT E R NATIONAL F O RA, ACRO SS A WID E R ANGE O F INT E RE STS, INCL UD ING BR E XIT

ENGA GEMENT A T EU LEVEL The varying effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to play a central role for the majority of 2020. In addition to the effective shutting down of large swathes of the EU economy, the scheduling of the range of physical meetings was significantly impacted. Faced with these continued exceptional circumstances, the affected EU Presidencies and the European Commission sought to ensure that as much business continued to take place in as many fora as possible. Videoconference meetings in respect of Ministerial Council meetings, as well as the Trade Policy Committee in its various formations, continued to be the dominant feature. A notable exception was the informal Council meeting of Trade Ministers on 11 September which took place in Berlin and which the Tánaiste attended.

During 2020, Minister Humphreys, the Tánaiste and Ministers Breen, Troy and English represented Ireland’s interests at the Trade and Competitiveness (Internal Market and Industry) and Employment and Social Affairs (EPSCO) Councils. COVID-19 impacted the organisation of Council meetings with only one physical meeting of the Competitiveness Council held under the Croatian Presidency while six other meetings during the Croatian and German Presidencies were held virtually.

The Competitiveness (Internal Market and Industry) Council considered the European Green Deal and adopted Council Conclusions on Better Regulation at its only physical meeting. The focus of other meetings was on the impact of COVID-19 on EU industry and the Single Market, the Commission’s Recovery Plan and on building a resilient competitive Europe with an emphasis on deepening the Single Market and on delivering on the green and digital transition.

In October 2020, the coordination role for EPSCO transferred to the Department. Minister English attended two informal meetings in October and December which focused on the recovery from COVID-19 through the employment and social affairs lens. Issues progressed by the Trade Council during 2020 included EU Trade Policy Review (which was launched in June 2020) which was discussed in September and again in November. A significant amount of time was also devoted to ensuring a consensus EU approach regarding the selection of the WTO Director-General post. EU-US trade relations continued to be a key topic throughout 2020 however, while discussions continued over the course of the year between the EU and US towards a return to more ‘predictable’ trade relations as equal partners, there were no significant bridging of gaps. The result of the US Presidential election was a notable development towards the end of the year.

Considerable work within the EU was also undertaken to further the WTO reform agenda. The Appellate Body of the WTO ceased to function as of 11 December 2019. In the interim, the EU with 24 other trading partners agreed to the establishment of the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA). The MPIA operates under the WTO framework,

based on a provision (Article 25) in the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Understanding for dispute arbitration. It is based on the usual WTO rules applicable to appeals. Ireland also continued to work with our EU partners to address a number of trade irritants with the United States, mostnotably in relation to the imposition of tariffs on certain EU exports to the United States in response to the WTO findings in the ‘Airbus’ case, as well as the EU response to the WTO award in the parallel Boeing case. Furthermore, a second review of the EU’s Steel Safeguard measures was undertaken whereby the quota levels were liberalised by 3%. The measures are due to expire in July 2021.

In addition to representing the Department’s and Ireland’s strategic interests at Council, the Department’s key EU interests were also pursued at the cross-Government level via the Department of Foreign Affairs EU Senior Officials Group and the Interdepartmental Group on EU Affairs and Brexit, as well as, bilaterally through engagements with like-minded Member States and the European Commission.

The Department continued to engage remotely and via video conferencing facilities at EU Committee and Working Party level to communicate Ireland’s position on issues of trade to ensure that the open, free and rule based multi-lateral trading system is assisted and upheld. In that regard, the team in Dublin and Brussels service multiple Committees and Working Groups, including Geneva insofar as the World Trade Organisation is concerned. We also take the lead role for Ireland in other international organisations’ fora (UN, WTO) through its Permanent Representation Mission in Geneva, as well as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (OECD).

The Ministers briefed our business stakeholders on International Trade developments through the Department’s Enterprise Forum during the year.

In keeping with the Department’s EU Oireachtas Scrutiny obligations, the Department informed the Oireachtas on 38 EU proposals across a range of policy issues, seven early warning reports and also met its obligation to submit two six-monthly reports onEU developments.

EU S INGLE MA RKET IN S ERVIC ES Throughout 2020, the Department continued its engagement at EU level, including with the European Commission and with other Member States, and in representing Ireland at relevant EU Working Groups and Committees on Single Market issues. It continued to work with likeminded Member States and the European Commission to identify and remove barriers to the cross-border provision of services in the EU Single Market, including through the newly established Single Market Enforcement Taskforce.

On the legislative front, the Department coordinated national positions on a proposal for a Regulation setting up a Single Market Programme within the EU’s Multi-annual Financial Framework for the period 2021-2027, which was agreed later in the year. This new programme is an aggregation of six existing EU funding programmes which are currently assisted by 10 different EU budget lines, and which, at national level, fall within the policy remits of a number of Government Departments.

The Department also continued to manage the Irish Point of Single Contact website, which is an information and assistance resource for EU services providers seeking to provide

services in Ireland. It is part of a network of websites across the European Economic Area which aims to facilitate free movement of services within the Single Market. The Department continued toimprove the quality of information available on the Point of Single Contact and address shortfalls previously identified by the European Commission.

The Department also managed Ireland’s contribution to other EU networks that contribute to the smooth functioning of the Single Market, including the SOLVIT and Internal Market Information Systems. In 2020, the Irish SOLVIT Centre again scored well in the European Commission’s Annual Report on the performance of national centres within the SOLVIT network.

INVES TMENT S C REENING The EU European Union adopted the Regulation for Establishing a Framework for the Screening of Foreign Direct Investments. The Regulation (EU) (2019/452) came into effect in March 2019 and applies from 11 October 2020.

This Regulation establishes a framework for Member States to co-ordinate and share information in relation to the screening of foreign direct investment from 3rd countries. It came into force in October 2020. It also allows the Commission to issue non-binding opinions in cases concerning several Member States, or when an investment could affect a project or programme of interest to the whole of the EU.

The Investment Screening Regulation, and subsequent domestic policy developments, is a response to growing concerns amongst Member States regarding the purchase of, and investment in, strategic European companies and assets by foreign-owned firms (and in certain cases, state-owned firms) that may undermine a Member State’s security or public order.

Under the Regulation, Member States are required to establish a National Contact Point (NCP) where information and enquiries can be exchanged between the Commission and Member States. The NCP is also responsible for fulfilling the various reporting requirements set out in the Regulation.

The Department acts as Ireland’s NCP and we are an active participant on the European Commission’s Expert Group on the Screening of Foreign Direct Investment which provides a valuable forum to share best practices on screening policies and which facilitates an exchange of views on trends and issues of common concern relating to foreign investment screening. In 2020, the Department undertook analysis including a series of bilateral engagements to inform policy development in this space. A public consultation was also undertaken to inform the Department on policy options in examining our response to the implementation of the Regulation.

Following the consultation, the issue was considered by Government and a decision was taken to introduce an investment screening mechanism in Ireland by way of primary legislation. Government approved the General Scheme of an Investment Screening Bill in July 2020 and the legislation is currently being drafted with the Attorney General’s office. The Bill when enacted, will empower the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to respond to threats to Ireland’s security and public order posed by particular types of foreign investment and to prevent or mitigate such threats.

BREXIT READINESS PREPARATIONS In 2020, the extensive coordination work continued across the Department and its Agencies on the Department’s response to Brexit, including engagement across Government on Brexit readiness in preparation for all Brexit outcomes, including a no-deal outcome. There was also active liaison across Government to ensure that our national interests were taken into account in the context of the EU-UK negotiations on the future trading relationship.

The Department provided inputs to the Government Brexit Readiness Action Plan published in September 2020 and in the Brexit Omnibus Bill 2020. In December 2020, the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Act 2020 (Brexit Omnibus Act) was signed into law by the President. The Omnibus Act, which was made up of 19 parts, complemented legal measures at EU level and continued the work of the 2019 Omnibus Bill by focusing on measures to protect our citizens and assisting the economy, enterprise and jobs particularly in key economic sectors. The Department’s involvement included Parts 4, 5 & 15 of the Omnibus Act which focused, respectively, on issues related to Central Securities Depositories; adjustments to Work Permits legislation; as well as to the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Acts. In addition to the Bill, complementary secondary legislation was also finalised before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

Intensive engagement with the Department’s stakeholders continued in 2020 with a view to assisting businesses to get Brexit ready by end 2020. This work involved Ministerial engagement through key stakeholder groups such as the Enterprise Forum on Brexit and Global Challenges and the Retail Forum, as well as with the Department’s enterprise and regulatory Agencies.

CHEMICAL IMPORTS Throughout 2020 the Department, in conjunction with the Health and Safety Authority, continued to support the Government’s ‘Getting Ireland Brexit Ready’ initiative to highlight the potential impacts for Irish industry. In particular, potential impacts arising for industry in relation to the sourcing of chemicals and the importing of products continued to be highlighted throughout 2020, as industries might face increased regulatory duties and obligations.

MITIGATING MEASURES FOR SMES Brexit Loan Scheme The Brexit Loan Scheme was launched in March 2018, in partnership with the Department of

Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the European Investment Bank. The Scheme provides affordable financing to eligible Irish businesses with up to 499 employees that are either currently impacted by Brexit or will be in the future. The Scheme is open both to State Agency clients and those businesses that do not have any relationship with State Agencies. The Scheme is delivered by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) through commercial lenders to get working capital into Irish businesses and was extended in 2020 to continue to make lending available to Brexit impacted businesses to the end of 2021. Together with the SBCI COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme, €337.5m of lending has been made available to help the liquidity needs of SMEs, as of the end of 2020, through these two

loan schemes. A further expansion is in progress to bring available lending up to €500m. To the end of 2020, 282 loans had progressed to sanction at bank level to a total value of €57.5m.

➢Future Growth Loan Scheme As referenced under Goal 1, the €300m Future Growth Loan Scheme, was launched in March 2019, to provide access to lending to eligible Irish businesses and the primary agriculture and seafood sectors to assist strategic long-term investment. The scheme was expanded in July 2020 to bring available lending to €800m. Finance provided under this scheme is easier to access, more competitively priced, and offered at more favourable terms than other lending for such businesses. Loan amounts are offered of between €100,000 (€50,000 for agriculture) to €3m with unsecured loans up to €500,000. Loans are for terms of between 7 and 10 years – addressing a gap in the market for longer term finance. The scheme is jointly funded by this Department and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the European Investment Bank. This scheme has been well received in the market, such that at the end of 2020 there had been 2,742 loans progressed to sanction at bank level to a total value of €555m, of which 2,023 of these loans to the value of €415.1m were sanctioned in 2020 alone. ➢Microfinance Ireland Brexit Business Loan In November 2020, Microfinance Ireland launched its Brexit Business Loan. It is available to businesses with turnover of less than €2m and a maximum of 9 employees. Loans can be up for up to €25,000 and from 6 months to 3 years. Reduced interest rates from 4.5% and an effective interest free period of up to 12 months bring the cost of this loan down further for Irish businesses. It is expected that these loans will be utilised for importation reasons or changes to supply chains due to the size of the businesses involved. ➢Awareness The Department invested heavily in supporting enterprise and providing strong communications and awareness raising on Brexit. It gauges Brexit responses across the SME base by means of its series of Brexit SME surveys, which provide insights into the extent and type of Brexit responses implemented by businesses. Further monitoring, collation and dissemination of the levels of engagement with Brexit supports facilitates the development of insights into the impact of Brexit on business. In addition to online resources, a number of leaflets and booklets have been produced to ensure that businesses are as prepared as possible for the impacts arising as a result of Brexit. These include the ‘Quick Brexit Guide for Business: Customs, tariffs and duties, currency, imports, certification, working capital, financing’ and ‘Currency Risk Management for Irish SMEs.’ Given the demand, the ‘Quick Brexit Guide for Business’ has been reprinted several times. Where appropriate, information has been updated to reflect the changing circumstances of the UK’s exit from the EU. The Department’s website has also been

updated to include guidance on Getting Your Business Brexit Ready, including information on appropriate measures for impacted businesses. The Department also produced a comprehensive guide to the range of different measures available to businesses seeking financing, ‘Access to finance supports for SMEs and microenterprise’. ENTERPRISE IRELAND With the support of the Department, Enterprise Ireland has continued its focus on assisting Irish business prepare for Brexit in 2020. This included: The launch of the Ready for Customs Grant – a €9,000 contribution towards the costs of recruiting new employees and software IT systems equipment to increase a company’s customs capacity. By the end of 2020 €7.6m had been allocated, supporting 1,000 jobs in the sector.

The launch of the Brexit Readiness Checker – an online tool that provides businesses with an individual assessment of readiness. More than 660 companies had completed the Checker by end 2020.

Extensive advertising and direct marketing campaigns to the Enterprise Ireland client base and the wider business community to raise awareness of the importance of preparing for Brexit.

A series of five regional webinars in early December 2020, with more than 1400 businesses registering. Post event follow-up included promoting on demand view options and the circulation of an extensive Brexit Q&A document.

Traffic to Enterprise Ireland’s dedicated website Prepare for Brexit increased significantly, with more than 66,500 visits between September – December 2020.

IDA IRELAND In 2020, IDA Ireland continued to work directly with its existing clients to help address the challenges while also seeking to maximise new Brexit-related opportunities.

The Agency has engaged with its client base, over several years, to help identify and mitigate Brexit-related risks that could impact on foreign direct investment in Ireland.

In addition, ever since the UK referendum in June 2016, IDA Ireland has sought opportunities to attract further Brexit-related investment to Ireland, securing 92 Brexit-related investments with an associated jobs potential of 5,900 in that time. The IDA has taken steps to diversify its source markets for foreign direct investment. The Agency has restructured its European operations to treat the UK as a separate market and will also deploy additional resources in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

IDA Ireland continues to emphasise the core elements of Ireland’s value proposition for foreign direct investment. Our strengths – including our pro-enterprise policy environment, highly-educated English-speaking workforce and our membership of the European Union – remain attractive to international investors.

LOCAL ENTERPRISE OFFICES Brexit measures through the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) throughout the country are focused on information and awareness, market diversification, increased competitiveness and promoting innovation. As well as Brexit, related mentoring and training the LEOs have also delivered specific Brexit initiatives for micro-enterprises, including:

3,267 participants attended Brexit Information events aimed at core and non-core clients through the LEOs online training platforms;

Technical Assistance for Micro Exporters Grants were available to incentivise clients to explore and develop new market opportunities. 1,072 clients were approved assistance under this measure in 2020 which is more than double the number approved in 2019.

INTERTRADEIRELAND As the SMEs assisted by InterTrade Ireland (ITI) may be significantly impacted by Brexit, the Department once again provided additional funding to ITI in 2020. This enabled ITI to further enhance the:

Brexit Advisory Service which provides a range of tailored measures. In total the Brexit Advisory Service engaged directly with over 3,897 SMEs across the island.

‘Brexit Start to Plan Vouchers’ valued at €2,250, to enable companies to obtain specialist advice on issues such as currency planning, tariffs and customs, regulatory requirements and taxation issues. In 2020 ITI received 962 applications for ‘Start to Plan’ Vouchers for SMEs and approved 856.

NA TIO NA L S TA NDA RDS A UTH O RITY O F IRELA ND The National Standards Authority of Ireland’s (NSAI) focus in terms of Brexit is to examine the risks and opportunities for businesses in terms of product certification and the application of EU, ISO, and British standards post-Brexit. During 2020 NSAI’s Brexit Unit engaged extensively with businesses and trade organisations throughout Ireland, holding a series of roadshow events and issuing factsheets on specific sectoral areas. NSAI have developed information measures to help Irish businesses in their preparations to minimise the impact of Brexit, protect their supply chains and to maintain access to the UK market.

In 2020 the NSAI delivered on several Brexit initiatives including:

Enhancing on-line access to Brexit materials through a Brexit portal;

Frequently Asked Questions on Electrical Equipment and Product Certification;

Fact Sheets for key sectors;

Migrated Brexit Messaging to on-line platforms with;

11 Brexit webinars including Irish Exporters Association, IBEC, Quantity Surveyors Association and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Delivered a Brexit Live Autumn Series of webinars, to over 650 attendees,

Presenting at the Manufacturing Supply Chain and Electrical Manufacturers and Distribution Association conferences

NSAI Brexit Unit facilitated the Irish Notified Bodies Network meetings with the addition of three new subgroups, Construction, Pressure Vessels and Electrical/Radio.

NSAI assisted the Government Getting Ireland Brexit Ready initiatives through presenting at the LEO’s Lunch and Learn Series, Monaghan Co. Council’s Construction Brexit Briefing and Dundalk Chamber of Commerce/ITI and Dundalk LEO briefings.

INTERNA TIO NA L LA BO UR O RGA NIS A TION The Department leads on Ireland’s engagement with the International Labour Organisation (ILO)9,a specialist UN agency. Ireland is serving a term as a Titulaire member (with speaking and voting rights) of the Governing Body (GB). National positions on the GB agenda are coordinated through an Interdepartmental Group, which brings together Departments with policy responsibility for items on the GB’s wide-ranging agenda. A key feature of the work of the Group is the involvement of the Social Partners, to reflect the fact that the ILO is a tripartite organisation.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused severe disruption to the ILO’s calendar of work. The GB meeting and International Labour Conference in March and June 2020 respectively were cancelled. However, the ILO continued to progress its work programme virtually through online mechanisms and the November GB took place remotely over a two week period. In July, an ILO Global Summit ‘Building a better future of work’’, which over five days was the largest ever online gathering of workers, employers and governments, discussed how to address the economic and social impacts of the pandemic. President Michael D. Higgins addressed the Summit on the Global Leaders Day.

TRA DE A GREEMENTS A ND TRA DE MIS S IO NS The Department, on behalf of Ireland, worked closely with the European Union Commission and Member States to bring several trade agreements to a successful conclusion.

The trade-facilitating package to eliminate or reduce customs duties for a small number of tariff lines was agreed between the EU and US in August 2020. This first agreement on tariff elimination between the EU and US in over twenty years was a notable achievement and can serve as a means of building much needed positive momentum in the EU-US trade relationsand can serve as a means of building much needed positive momentum in EU-US trade relations.

On 1 August 2020 the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force, following its signing the previous year. On 28 April 2020, the EU and Mexico concluded the last outstanding element covering the reciprocal opening of public procurement markets, in the negotiation of the new EU-Mexico FTA. The new Agreement will expand the existing agreement to include regulatory cooperation, additional trade in agriculture and public procurement. The Agreement will provide a platform to increase Irish exports to Mexico,

9 In June 2017, Ireland was elected as Titulaire member of the ILO Governing Body (GB) for the period 2017-20. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Titulaire period was extended to 2021. This is the first time Ireland has been elected to a Titulaire seat (one with speaking and voting rights) since we joined the ILO in 1923. Ireland concluded a term as Regional Coordinator of the ILO Western European Group in November 2020.

including for Ireland’s important Agri-food sector especially for dairy, pork and beef products. Negotiations for separate FTAs with Australia and New Zealand continued in 2020 with the expectation of reaching an agreement in both negotiations in 2021.

The EU and China signed a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GIs) in China, including Irish Whiskey and Irish Cream and 100 Chinese GIs in the European Union against usurpation and imitation. The Agreement will enter into force in 2021.In addition, at the end of 2020, the EU and China concluded negotiations in relation to a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) that once ratified will improve market access for Irish and European investors to the Chinese market of 1.4bn people across economic sectors. Once ratified, CAI will be the most ambitious investment agreement that China has ever concluded with a third country. In addition to rules against the forced transfer of technologies, CAI will also be the first agreement to deliver on obligations for the behaviour of state-owned enterprises and comprehensive transparency rules for subsidies.

The Department also continued to work with the European Commission and Member States to ensure that Ireland’s interests are promoted and safeguarded in other ongoing EU trade negotiations. Work continued on the evolution of EU trade defence instruments and other EU trade defence legislation including an amended Enforcement Regulation agreed in October 2020 and ongoing discussions on progressing the International Procurement Instrument which is considered to be a key legislative goal for the EU in 2021.

Following conclusion of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement negotiations in June 2019, an Economic and Sustainability Impact Assessment of the EU-Mercosur trade deal was tendered for by the Department in December 2019 in conjunction with Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine. The impact assessment is due to be concluded in early 2021.

WO RKING C LO S ER WITH O UR A GENC IES TO A C H IEVE TRA DE A ND INVES TMENT GO A LS Growing protectionism in international trade markets, the weakening of the multilateral trading architecture, major global trade disputes, the decision by the UK to withdraw from the EU by 31 December 2020 and the challenges posed by COVID-19 continued to require the development of appropriate inputs from the Department throughout 2020. Effective coordination between the Department and its Agencies resulted in the development of strategic policy responses in the areas of enterprise development, innovation, trade policy and negotiations, while seeking to sustain existing levels of inward investment and strong export performance.

Ministerial-led Trade and Investment Missions help the Government’s major drive towards market diversification. In recent years these Missions have focused on promoting the innovative capabilities and competitive offerings of Irish companies to international buyers in sectors including internationally traded services, fintech, high-tech construction, engineering, ICT and life sciences. Trade Missions are just one part of a comprehensive programme of international trade events delivered by the Department’s enterprise Agencies, giving Irish companies the opportunity to meet with potential buyers and network with key influencers in countries around the world.

A programme of promotional events, which had been designed to outline the benefits that such agreements offer to Irish exporters, had been planned for implementation in 2020. COVID-19 restrictions on meetings in indoor arenas, however, prevented effective delivery of this objective. As it became evident that the proposed stakeholder gatherings could not take place due to the health risks posed by COVID-19, the Department utilised the opportunities provided by web based and other social media platforms to increase awareness of the material that the Department, its Agencies and the European Commission had developed to promote the benefits that EU trade agreements offer to Irish exporters, including the Department’s report on the role played by it and its Agencies in promoting trade and investment objectives in 2019. Promotion of our companies abroad continued through the work of our State Agencies, and, in particular, their offices located on the ground internationally.

In the final quarter of 2020, the Department engaged with its Agencies with a view to exploring if a Ministerial-led Trade Mission Programme could be developed for delivery in 2021, having regard to the growing increase in the number of COVID-19 cases detected around the globe. The 2021 Trade Mission Programme will contain a mix of virtual and in person trade missions, however its implementation will be contingent on the latest public health travel advice.

As well as the global efforts assisted by our Agencies, key to our success in growing exports in recent years has been our commitment to trade liberalisation in order to open new markets for our indigenous sectors. As noted, the EU has successfully concluded a number of important trade agreements with trading partners and is in the process of negotiating or upgrading its agreements with many more.

EU DIGITA L S INGLE MA RKET S TRA TEGY A new EU medium-term digital strategy entitled Shaping Europe’s Digital Future was launched on 19 February 2020. For the next five years, the Commission will focus on three key objectives to ensure that digital solutions help Europe pursue its own way towards a digital transformation that works for the benefit of people through respecting European values. These objectives are: Technology that works for the people; A fair and competitive digital economy; and Open, democratic and sustainable society. In September 2020, the Commission President proposed a key initiative for 2021 - Communication on Europe’s Digital Decade: 2030 Digital Targets. This proposes a common plan for digital Europe with clearly defined goals towards 2030 with a focus on data, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and connectivity.

Following a meeting of the D9+countries in Warsaw in December 2019, the D9+ subsequently prepared a non-paper for the European Commission in May 2020 on the Digital Services Act Package. The D9+ is a Ministerial level group of like-minded countries, including Ireland, based on their position on the Digital Economy and Society Index that meet to discuss Digital Single Market issues. It comprises the nine top-ranked European countries in the European Commission Annual Digital Economy and Society Index plus a small number of other countries who share similar ambitions for the Digital Single Market. The D9+ met virtually in June 2020, where the focus was on the EU Whitepaper on artificial

intelligence. In October 2020 the D9+ provided a non-paper to the European Commission on innovative and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence.

NA TIO NA L METRO LO GY LA BO RATO RY NSAI’s National Metrology Laboratory (NML) is a partner in the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) which coordinates research projects to address large scale challenges in health, energy, environment and industry in addition to building research capacity throughout EU member states. NML participated in three EMPIR projects in 2020. The joint research project VersICaL, which is being coordinated by NSAI, is now in its final year.

NSAI was also a co-author of presentations at two international conferences and of a paper published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. Arising from the project, a digital impedance bridge has been constructed at NML and is undergoing validation. In future, it should allow NML to realise a reference scale for electrical impedance without relying on extensive external calibrations.

During 2020 NML’s Time & Frequency calibration capabilities further enhanced as its primary cesium frequency standard was officially accepted by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) Time Department as an atomic clock now contributing to the calculation of International Atomic Time (TAI) and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) through Circular T 394.

The NML now maintains an internationally recognised National Timescale (UTC (NSAI)) traceable to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and will investigate disseminating this timescale to interested Irish entities during 2021. This Primary Standard provides for direct traceability to the S.I. definition of the second.