Finance Minister Michael McGrath and his department’s junior minister, Jennifer Carrolll MacNeill, head to Brussels tomorrow to be grilled by MEPs on Dublin’s bid to host the EU’s new anti-money laundering authority (AMLA).
Rumour has it that Dublin and Rome are neck-and-neck in the lead, though there are seven other cities – Brussels, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris, Riga, Vilnius and Vienna – still vying for the seat.
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews said the questioning is likely to be “quite political”.
That means Ireland is likely to face tough questions on its tax policies. The hearing kicks off in the afternoon and a vote – MEPs get an equal say with national governments for the first time ever – will take place on February 22.
New UK customs rules kick in at midnight tomorrow, with hauliers advised to check they have the right paperwork before they head for Dublin Port.
Wednesday will see the release of a flash estimate for January inflation by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), alongside January unemployment data. The CSO has December retail sales today and wholesale prices tomorrow.
Elsewhere, central banks in the US (Wednesday) and UK (Thursday) meet to discuss interest rates, with the Bank of England being closely watched for any signal at all – absent so far – on when cuts might be in store.
Today is Flutter’s targeted New York listing target date.
On the results calendar, Guinness owner Diageo has interim results tomorrow, with analysts likely to be combing the release for updates following a profit warning late last year on the back of faltering Latin American and Caribbean sales.
Ryanair has third-quarter earnings today. And tomorrow, Uniphar, which operates Hickey’s and McCauley pharmacies, has a full-year 2023 trading update.
EU leaders meet on Thursday to discuss Ukraine aid, while the IMF releases an update to its world economic outlook forecast tomorrow.