Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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438. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when Ireland plans to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration following the decision by the European Union to join the Convention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1363/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Council of the European Union approved the signature of the United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration ('The Mauritius Convention') by the European Union on the 25th of June 2024. This text was adopted by the European Parliament on the 18th of December 2024.

The Convention applies to investment treaties concluded before 1 April 2014 and establishes a mechanism allowing countries and regional economic integration organisations to agree between themselves to apply the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules in disputes covered by investment treaties to which they are parties. It permits both the Union and the Member States to adhere to the Convention and to apply the Transparency Rules to their existing investment treaties.

While the European Union has completed its process to be a signatory to the Convention, it is now up to Ireland, and each other individual EU Member State if they choose to sign and ratify the Convention.

As is the case for any UN Convention, careful analysis and consultation across Government will be required before any decision is taken to sign or not to sign the UN Convention on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration.