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The Minister of State for European Affairs, the EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Dara Murphy TD, has said that a fully-functioning, open and competitive Digital Single Market will be a win-win for consumers and SMEs across Europe and will allow Ireland to unlock its full potential as a ‘Digital Frontrunner’ as our economy and society embrace ever-greater digitisation.

The Minister was speaking following a roundtable event on Digitizing Ireland hosted by Google today. At the event, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) presented research estimating that up to 140,000 jobs could be created in the Irish economy over the next four years and annual GDP growth almost doubled, if Ireland seizes emerging opportunities in digital. The research is an extension to an earlier piece of work on Digitizing Europe, which identified Ireland as one of Europe’s ‘Digital Frontrunners.’

Commenting on the research findings, Minister Murphy said:

“Ireland is in the vanguard of European countries pushing for an ambitious Digital Single Market. A fully-functioning, open and competitive Digital Single Market will be a win-win for consumers and SMEs across Europe. For Ireland, it will allow us to unlock our full potential as a ‘Digital Frontrunner’ as our economy and society embrace ever-greater digitisation.”

“BCG’s research findings highlight the clear transformative potential of greater digitisation for society, for our SMEs and for job creation. Building on our existing strengths, Ireland is well-positioned to take full advantage of opportunities from the transition to digital. Domestically, we have already made great strides in this transition, as highlighted in the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index 2016, which places us ahead of the EU average. But we cannot be complacent.”

“Now, more than ever, Europe needs to focus on areas where it can deliver tangible benefits for citizens and small businesses. The flagship Digital Single Market Strategy is one such area, and a priority for Ireland. It’s about bringing the Single Market into the 21st century and making it easier to do business digitally and across borders. Having the right EU framework in place is critically important for Ireland if we are to realise our full potential in digital. We will continue to work closely with our EU partners to ensure swift and determined progress in completing the Digital Single Market by 2018."