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Intensive programme of Ministerial trade missions and international trade events for 2014
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore announcing the programme of Ministerial Trade Missions for 2014
Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton today launched the year-long programme of ministerial-led events targeting trade and investment for Ireland in 2014.
Today’s announcement includes details of the Government’s St. Patrick’s Day ‘Promote Ireland’ programme of international activity which will see 27 Ministers taking part in over 100 business events and 80 high-level political meetings in 35 cities across 23 countries.
Launching the St. Patrick’s Day programme, the Tánaiste said:
2014 is all about recovery. Now that we have exited the EU/IMF bailout and made a successful return to the bond markets, it is more important than ever that we leverage the opportunity presented by the St. Patrick’s Day period to further boost trade, tourism and inward-investment with a view to creating more jobs at home.
Announcing the Enterprise Ireland programme, Minister Bruton said:
Today we are announcing the Enterprise Ireland programme of international activity for 2014. The number of ministerial-led missions will remain at 18 – consistent with 2013 levels, and more than double the numbers during 2007-2011 when the average was 8.5. We are also announcing a significant new scheme to support internationalisation to support companies in developing new markets, worth up to 150k per company. By continuing to develop and implement new supports for exporting companies, I am convinced we can build on these and support exporting companies to create more jobs in the coming years.
The Tánaiste and Minister Bruton also today launched a major new Enterprise Ireland Market Access Grant Scheme which will help companies succeed more quickly and effectively in new markets. This new scheme, under which companies can receive grant support of up to €150,000 to develop new markets, is a very significant addition to the trade mission activity and the wide range of supports which Enterprise Ireland already provides for exporting companies. This scheme is aimed at companies that are investigating new markets that demonstrate strong potential and will provide funding support to develop marketing strategies to capitalise on these opportunities.
Read the full press release
here.