Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I begin by welcoming the Minister, Deputy Coveney to the Seanad. I acknowledge the work of the committee, which was so ably led by Senator Chambers, who from the get-go adopted such an inclusive and professional approach to the work and the workings of our committee.

Ireland is the go-to English speaking member state of the EU. We are well placed to take advantage of foreign direct investment, FDI, seeking an English speaking base in the EU. Ireland now has the highest FDI in Europe by population and has stayed at high level since the Brexit bounce in FDI in 2018. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, has estimated the direct impact of Brexit has resulted in a 36% decline in aggregate EU imports from the UK and a fall in exports to the UK of 24%. However, in Ireland’s case, there has been very little Brexit-related impact to date on Irish exports to the UK, whereas imports from the UK have fallen by 45%.

This also makes Ireland, in this new situation, the premiere destination in the EU for students learning English in an immersive environment. Not only is Ireland in this advantageous position, but also I wish to mark the fact that the Irish language has finally received full official and working status in the EU, providing opportunities for more Irish people to work in the European institutions. In due course, I anticipate a growing interest from member states in visiting the Gaeltacht areas on this beautiful island.