- • Ministers, Heads of State Agencies & private sector reps will attend
- • Ensuring Ireland’s continued Growth and Competitiveness a key theme
- • Senior Brussels-based diplomats will participate in discussion on the impact of EU regulations
- • Performances in Priority markets also to be discussed
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, will chair the 10th meeting of the Export Trade Council (ETC) this afternoon at Farmleigh House.
Minister Flanagan will be joined by Ministers and the heads of the State agencies involved in promoting trade, tourism, investment and education abroad, as well as private sector members of the Council, including Ibec, the Irish Exporters Association and other business representatives with expertise in specific areas.
The meeting will address how best to ensure Ireland’s continuing competitiveness and growth, particularly in a changing European context.
Speaking before the meeting, Minister Flanagan said:
“This meeting of the Export Trade Council is an opportunity for Ministers, heads of State agencies and representatives of the private sector to come together early in the New Year to discuss important topics which impact on our export and investment performance and to continually enhance cooperation and coordination to keep the recovery going.
“A central theme of the discussions will be Competitiveness and Growth, examining ways of ensuring Ireland’s continued competiveness in a changing European context.
“The impact of the EU institutions and regulation on Irish business, trade, tourism, investment and education promotion will also feature prominently.
“Another key objective of this meeting is to assess progress of Local Market Teams, chaired by our Ambassadors in our priority markets, and to look at plans for our Exploratory and High Potential Markets. Members will also review the plans of Local Market Teams to build on the many successes of 2015 which saw the seasonally adjusted goods trade surplus surge from €2,464m in October 2014 to €4,284 in October 2015, and saw Ireland gain access to new markets including the American beef market, Vietnamese markets for pigmeat and milk and the launch of new air routes to Africa and North America.”
The Council will look at the impact of EU on the areas covered by the Export Trade Council, with Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Declan Kelleher, and Deputy Permanent Representative, Tom Hanney, joining the meeting to discuss the impact of EU institutions and regulation on Irish business, trade, tourism, investment and education promotion.
Note for Editors:
The Export Trade Council (ETC), which is chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, was established in 2011 in order to strengthen cooperation and coordination across all Government Departments and State agencies involved in the promotion of trade, tourism and inward investment.
The ETC, chaired by Minister Flanagan, has met twice each year since its formation in September 2011, and brings together senior Ministers with an economic focus, the heads of the State agencies involved in promoting trade, tourism, investment and education abroad with the support of the Embassy network, and members drawn from the private sector, including IBEC, the Irish Exporters Association and a number of business people with expertise in specific sectoral areas.
The current members of the Council include: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food, the Marine and Defence, Simon Coveney, TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, TD, Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, and Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion, and North-South Cooperation, Seán Sherlock, TD,
The heads of the State agencies that work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Embassy network in promoting trade, tourism, investment and education are also represented on the Council: Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland.
The private sector is also represented on the Council by IBEC and the Irish Exporters Association, as well as by a number of business people with a track record in the relevant sectors.
The plenary session will be followed by an informal dinner for members of the ETC in order to facilitate an informal discussion on future initiatives by Government Departments and the State agencies to further promote Ireland’s trade, tourism, investment and education overseas in the years to come.