Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a country that has fairly recently developed from a relatively basic level, the role of foreign direct investment and joint ventures in the Irish domestic market has been absolutely crucial. Is there an effort to build that sort of investment and joint venture with Africa in a way that facilitates the development of its economies? Is the EU conscious of the threat to open trading, and the democratic values that go with it, in the context of the actions of other regimes that are currently taking advantage of difficulties in Africa to enter into long-term investment agreements and tie up commodities in a way that is not in the long-term interests of either those emerging economies or an open free trading model?

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