Written answers

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Trade Relations

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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368. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which new trading links can be established globally; the extent to which he expects that this country can benefit from such developments in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19775/16]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Advancing Ireland’s trade, tourism, education and investment objectives, and economic diplomacy more generally, is an important aspect of Ireland’s foreign policy and of the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its Embassy network.

Given the implications of outcome of the UK Referendum, there is a collective determination across the Government and opposition benches to meet the challenges and uncertainties of the period ahead, not least insofar as our trading relationships are concerned.

The Government published a summary of its contingency framework the day after the referendum. My Department has its own detailed contingency framework and has commenced implementation, while the state agencies promoting Ireland’s trade interests have also published their strategies for safeguarding and promoting Ireland’s trading position. Most of the information relating to this work can be found on a dedicated EU-UK page on the government website merrionstreet.ie.

As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I will ensure that we have the capabilities in place to manage all this work both at home and abroad. Within my Department, our Ambassadors and Consuls General across the world have been extensively briefed, both in the days leading up to the referendum and in light of the outcome. Our Embassies will support and co-ordinate work on the ground with Local Market Teams involving the State agencies, while that work will be guided at home by the work of the Trade Division within my Department and by the Export Trade Council, which I chair.

Following the launch of the Government’s Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy, a list of 27 priority markets were identified, with Local Market Teams were established in each of these, chaired by the local Ambassador and consisting of representatives of the Embassy and relevant state agencies. These market teams submit annual market plans as well as six-monthly reports of activity, which are reviewed by the Export Trade Council.

While the majority of Irish services and merchandise exports go to Europe and the US and we must continue to cultivate these markets, the Government is strongly focused on the further development of trading partnerships with other important emerging markets. Market diversification is crucial for Ireland’s long term economic sustainability. In 2014, seven additional high potential and exploratory markets were identified to increase our engagement with high growth markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Building on this review, new Embassies have been opened in Bangkok (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia), Nairobi (Kenya) and Zagreb (Croatia), alongside the reopening of Ireland’s Embassy to the Holy See. Consulates-General have also been opened in Hong Kong (China), Austin (Texas, USA) and in Sao Paulo (Brazil). The opening of these new Embassies and Consulates is strengthening Ireland’s capacity to take advantage of emerging opportunities in these important markets, and complements the existing trade promotion work of our Embassy network.

Overall, the Embassy network plays a crucial role in proactively addressing market access issues, supporting Irish businesses seeking to grow overseas; holding promotional events for, and in association with, State agencies and actively contributing to the organisation and conduct of Enterprise Ireland Ministerial-led Trade Missions.

A next step is to equip the Embassy network with the resources to remain proactive and to open more business opportunities for exporters. Our ambitions to transform how our mission network supports Irish business overseas has even greater relevance in the face of the challenges posed by the UK Referendum.

The Economic Diplomacy Strategy, which I launched in January this year, seeks to build on the consolidation of the Department’s trade role in recent years, with a view to providing a new direction for the Department’s trade activities so as to equip our Mission network with the resources and autonomy to become active and open business hubs for our exporters, thereby strengthening the work of the State agencies and their networks of representation overseas. Within the context of the very successful Local Market Teams, the initiative is intended to augment the already important work the Department, Embassy network and Agency presence overseas undertakes on a daily basis to promote Irish business.

As part of this new Strategy, the Department is establishing a network of locally-hired Commercial Attachés to extend the range and impact of our embassies’ activities in support of trade. The embassies in Mexico, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Bucharest, and Jakarta, have all provided a firm and immediate basis for the appointment of a locally hired, term limited, Commercial Attaché and it is proposed to appoint such officers to these locations in the coming months. In addition, provision is already made for the appointment of an Economic Development Officer (EDO) in Abuja, funded from the Irish Aid budget, whose role would be analogous to that of a Commercial Attaché. There is potential to make similar appointments in other locations.

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