The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, today (Friday) welcomed new merchandise trade figures published by the CSO which show that goods exports in April are up 6% on the same month in 2012.
The figures also show a 12% year-on-year increase in exports of medical and pharmaceutical products,
which reached €2.04 Billion in April 2013.
Speaking today from Luxembourg, where he is chairing a meeting of the EU Trade Council aimed at reaching agreement on a mandate to start talks with the United States on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, Minister Bruton said:
"A strong export performance will be crucial to delivering the economic recovery we are all working so hard to achieve. Through the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government is determined to rebuild a sustainable economy based on enterprise, innovation and exports, and we are delivering on measures to deepen and develop the impact of multinational investment here and to make it easier for Irish companies to export more.
"It is clear to me from the trade and investment missions I have travelled on that while conditions in international markets remain difficult, Irish companies and multinational companies based in Ireland are working very hard and can compete with the very best on the global stage.
"In the past year since we launched the Action Plan for Jobs we have seen more than 2,000 extra jobs created in the private sector every month, with exporting sectors leading the way. Through strong implementation of new initiatives both at national and European level I am determined to sustain and accelerate this progress, continue to grow our exports and create the jobs we need".
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Minister Bruton currently chairing a meeting of the EU Trade Council and is encouraging his fellow EU Trade Ministers to seize the opportunity to boost EU jobs and growth by agreeing at EU Trade Council to allow the start of EU-US trade talks.
Minister Bruton is the current Chair of the EU’s Trade Council. The Council is meeting today in Luxembourg and will consider a number of items including the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, EU-China trade and investment relations, the EU-Canada Trade Agreement and labour conditions in Bangladesh. Trade Ministers from all EU Member States are attending, as will the EU’s Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht.
A comprehensive Trade and Investment Partnership could over time boost EU GDP by 0.5% per annum and help create approximately 400,000 jobs in the EU. If Ireland simply gained on a proportionate basis this would mean an additional 4,000 jobs here.
Minister Bruton has travelled on a total of 14 major trade and investment missions in the 24 months since taking office. They comprise:
· Five IDA investment missions to the USA, two to the east coast, two to the west coast and one encompassing the East Coast, South and Mid-West
· Five Enterprise Ireland trade missions, one to Texas, one to the south-eastern USA, one to Saudi Arabia and India, one to Canada and one to France accompanied by a total of well over 100 Irish companies looking to break into new export markets
· A 7-day joint EI/IDA mission to China led by the Taoiseach
· A 5-day EI/IDA trip to the west coast of the USA built around St Patrick’s Day 2012
· A 4-day EI/IDA mission to Germany built around St Patrick’s Day 2013
· A 2-day mission to Germany around St Patrick’s Day 2011, including a series of meetings arranged by Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland.