Minister Bruton leads 5-day St Patrick’s Day “Promote Ireland” mission to
Italy
16 business events involving over 100 companies as part of 20 meetings and
events on intensive mission
#AllAboutJobs
15th March 2014
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD this
morning (Saturday 15thMarch) departs on a 5-day trade, investment and
tourism mission to Italy.
The mission comes as part of the Government’s Ministerial-led St Patrick’s
Day “Promote Ireland” programme, which will see 27 Ministers visit 35
cities across 23 countries to take part in over 100 business events and 80
high-level political meetings involving hundreds of companies.
Minister Bruton mission will include:
· 7 events and meetings aimed at supporting Irish companies seeking to
grow their exports to Italy
· 5 meetings aimed at attracting multinational investment to Ireland
· 4 further business and trade-related events
· 4 diplomatic/cultural events to coincide with St Patrick’s Day.
Trade between Ireland and Italy been strong over the past number of years,
with total exports from Ireland to Italy reaching €2.3 billion in 2013. The
range of products and services that are traded between our two nations is
considerable – from medical devices to dairy products, telecommunication
equipment to consumer goods.
Italy is a G8 member with an economy of €1.39 trillion euro, and is
Ireland’s 4th largest export market in Europe. Approximately 252,000
Italian tourists visited Ireland in 2012, an increase of 14.5% over the
previous year.
This is the 20th major trade and investment mission that Minister Bruton
has led since taking office three years ago. The number of Enterprise
Ireland trade missions has doubled since the launch of the Action Plan for
Jobs. Speaking before leaving Dublin this morning, Minister Bruton said:
“The Irish economy is in a transition from the old, failed model reliant on
property and debt to the new, sustainable model we are building based on
enterprise, exports and innovation. Ministerial-led trade and investment
missions form a key part of our plan to build that new economy, continue
increasing our exports and create jobs. Since 2011 we have more than
doubled the number of Ministerial-led Enterprise Ireland trade missions,
and the St Patrick’s Day ‘Promote Ireland’ programme plays a key part in
this too.
“The plan is working. Employment in exporting sectors continues to
increase, driving the overall employment growth we have seen recently with
private sector jobs increasing by 1600 per week over the past year,
compared to the loss of 1600 per week which was happening between 2008 and
2010.
“Italy is a key trade and investment partner, with over exports of over
€2billion from Ireland to Italy in 2013, and around 300 Irish-owned
companies currently active in the Italian market. I look to using the focus
that St Patrick’s Day brings to build on the strong relationships that
exist already, further grow our exports and create the jobs we need”.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Action Plan for Jobs includes a commitment by Government to carry out
an intensive programme of Ministerial-led trade and investment missions.
Since the Plan was launched in early 2012 the number of trade missions led
by Enterprise Ireland, for example, has doubled, from an average of 8
(2007-2011) to an average of 17 (2012 and scheduled for 2013).
This is Minister Bruton’s 19th major trade/investment mission in almost
three years since taking office in March 2011.
The 19 previous missions undertaken comprise:
· Six IDA investment missions to the USA, three to the east coast, two
to the west coast and one encompassing the East Coast, South and
Mid-West
· Seven Enterprise Ireland trade missions, one to Texas, one to the
south-eastern USA, one to India, one to Saudi Arabia and India, one
to Singapore and Malaysia, one to Canada and one to France
accompanied by hundreds of Irish companies looking to break into new
export markets
· A 7-day joint EI/IDA mission to China led by the Taoiseach in 2012,
and a further joint EI/IDA mission to China and Japan led by Minister
Bruton in 2013
· A EI mission to the Gulf led by the Taoiseach in January 2011
· A 5-day EI/IDA trip to the west coast of the USA built around St
Patrick’s Day 2012
· A 4-day mission to Germany around St Patrick’s Day 2013, and a 2-day
mission to Germany around St Patrick’s Day 2011, including a series
of meetings arranged by IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and
Tourism Ireland
· Missions to Saudia Arabia, Qatar and UAE in January 2014.
Ireland – Italy economic relations
Trade has been strong over the past number of years, with total exports
from Ireland to Italy reaching €2.3 billion in 2013. The range of products
and services that are traded between our two nations is considerable – from
medical devices to dairy products, telecommunication equipment to consumer
goods.
Italy is a G8 member with an economy of €1.39 trillion euro, and is
Ireland’s 4th largest export market in Europe.
Exports of Medical and Pharmaceutical products for 2013 were €729m (2012
€987m), representing the largest export sector. Organic chemicals ranked
second with exports of €351m for 2013 (2012 €375m), and Chemical Materials
& Products ranked third with €222m (2012 €231m). Italy is also the 4th most
important market for the Irish beef industry.
Exports of medical devices by indigenous Irish companies to Italy had a
value of €1.9 million in 2012, a slight increase over the previous year.
This increase is in line with indigenous Irish exports from the life
sciences sector as a whole which amounted to just under €11 million in
2012, up approximately 4.5% over 2011.
Indigenous cleantech & electronics exports were at €6.7 million in 2012 –
an increase of 31% from 2011.
Furthermore, in recent years we have witnessed an increase of nearly 50% in
the number of Irish companies with a direct presence in this market.
Approximately 252,000 Italian tourists visited Ireland in 2012, an increase
of 14.5% over the previous year.