The Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe T.D. and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service, Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers T.D., are today (Monday, June 16th) hosting the National Economic Dialogue 2025, which brings together representatives from across different groups in society to discuss the framing of economic and budgetary policy. The National Economic Dialogue (NED) will take place in Dublin Castle.
The NED is held annually and brings together representatives from community, voluntary and environmental groups, business, unions, research institutes and the academic community, as well as members of Cabinet and the Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight.
The theme for this year’s Dialogue is “Medium-term budgetary planning against a rapidly changing global backdrop”. The aim is to bring a greater focus to medium-term issues and planning, particularly in light of the new European fiscal framework, for which Government will prepare a new five-year medium-term fiscal plan later this year, setting out a binding path for public expenditure.
The event will see representatives discuss a range of key policy issues in breakout sessions chaired by Government ministers. Themes that will be discussed include how to build a resilient fiscal policy, infrastructure investment, the climate transition, competitiveness, housing, medium-term planning in the agriculture sector and disability.
The Department of Finance has produced a short overview paper which sets the scene for the discussions. The paper considers the implications of the fundamental changes that are happening to the global economy and how best the State can prepare itself to respond.
Speaking at the NED, the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe T.D. said:
“The National Economic Dialogue is an important part of our budgetary cycle and provides an opportunity for Government to engage in an open dialogue on the most important issues facing our economy and society.
“This year’s event has an emphasis on medium-term budgetary planning and I look forward to hearing from participants on what they believe Government should be focusing on and prioritising.
“Planning ahead in an environment of extreme economic uncertainty is challenging, but having a credible medium-term plan – built on stability and stabilisation – is more important than ever. The discussions we have today will inform decisions around the fiscal parameters that will define budgetary policy for the lifetime of this Government.”
The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service, Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers T.D. said:
“Hearing the variety of perspectives from the important stakeholders attending the National Economic Dialogue is crucial as we look at the economic and social context we build our fiscal plans around.
“I am pleased there is specific focus on Infrastructure delivery this year which we know is critical to enhancing our competitiveness, driving economic growth and supporting families, communities and business. This is a particularly timely discussion as we progress the review of the National Development Plan, in tandem with the identification of barriers to infrastructure delivery work by the new infrastructure taskforce.
“In providing better public services, our policies must be evidence-informed – grounded in research and data that puts the people most impacted by the policy at the heart of how it is designed.
“The new Medium Term Plan will reflect the strategic choices that will need to be made over the next five years in relation to tax and expenditure policy, to ensure a balanced and sustainable fiscal outlook. The Plan will be informed by the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the National Development Plan Review, which are currently being developed by my Department.”
