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Ministers, State Agencies, Business Representative Bodies & Major Exporting Companies to gather at Iveagh House

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, will this morning chair the 12th meeting of the Export Trade Council (ETC) in Iveagh House. This meeting is one of a series convened by Minister Flanagan with a focus on the UK referendum. It is the first meeting of the Export Trade Council following the referendum.

Minister Flanagan will be joined by a number of Ministerial colleagues with international remits (involving trade, tourism, investment and education) - including Ministers Creed, Mitchell O’Connor and Bruton - as well as the heads of relevant State agencies, leading private sector export companies and business representative bodies including IBEC and the Irish Exporters Association. The British Irish Chamber of Commerce has been invited to attend due to the focus of the meeting on the impact of the UK Referendum.

The discussion will aim to identify the next steps to be taken in supporting and enhancing Ireland’s position across these trade sectors, with the strategies of State actors being refined and complemented by the contributions of business sector representatives.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, Minister Flanagan said:

“The Export Trade Council plays an important role in bringing together key stakeholders in Ireland’s vital export market. Ireland’s significant trading relationship with the UK – worth over €1 billion per week – is of vital importance. At today’s meeting of the ETC, I hope to identify the challenges, and indeed opportunities, facing Irish trade in the wake of the UK EU referendum result. Although the economic relationship between Ireland and the UK will remain vitally important to us and to our future prosperity, the Council has in previous discussions identified market diversification as a key factor in mitigating any risks to our economy. I look forward to a fruitful discussion expanding on this theme and informing how Ireland can best respond in the current economic landscape.”

Notes for Editors:
The Export Trade Council (ETC) is chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD. The ETC has met regularly since 2011, including a pre-referendum Brexit-focused session in June 2016. It 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.
The current members of the Council include: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD, Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross 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.