Michael Ahern (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

Such unbalanced comments undermine the work of our development agencies and public servants in trying to win markets and gain business for Ireland. Across the world, our competitors are constantly vying to take market share from us. The competitiveness model which Ireland has to follow is one where innovation, talent and flexibility are our acknowledged core competencies. At EU level there is a renewed emphasis on intensifying the pace of implementation and delivery of the Lisbon reform programme for growth and jobs and for raising the levels of innovation, both technological and non-technological, across the EU. The EU Commission's assessment of Ireland's performance is that we are making good progress in the implementation of the Lisbon strategy through our national reform programme.

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