There is a need to harmonise regulations and reduce legal barriers between the European Union, the United States and globally to boost trade, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said on Monday.

"We in government clearly need to ensure our regulatory system helps, not hinders, risk takers, entrepreneurs and innovators," he told a conference in Dublin on EU-US Perspectives on Regulation.

Better regulation is a core theme of Ireland's six-month presidency of the European Union.

Regulations were necessary to ensure markets functioned and contracts were enforceable but they must not be "heavy handed", Ahern said.

"Unnecessary red tape is not just a frustrating irritation, it can be an actual barrier," he said. "We need to harmonise regulations -- and reduce regulatory barriers -- between the EU, and the USA - and globally.

"If the US and the EU work carefully with each other, in areas important to international trade, it could help to ensure a managed and rational convergence of regulatory regimes where this makes sense."

Ahern said there was also a tendency to keep adding new laws and never subtracting.

His government plans to repeal over 100 "deadwood" pieces of legislation that dated from British colonial rule before Ireland gained independence in

These ranged from 1846 baths and washhouses rules to 1875 chimney sweep regulations.

"While some of the acts on the list are historical curiosities, they can complicate the law and add to the transaction costs in key sectors," he said.