Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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235. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the Irish embassy and consular network continues to be proactive in pursuing Ireland’s interest in the export marketplace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4185/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The mission network of the Department of Foreign Affairs plays a vital role in increasing trade, diversifying our markets and supporting Irish companies to take advantage of new market opportunities, which is particularly relevant as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mission network plays a key role in the Team Ireland approach, which sees Government Departments and State Agencies working closely with other Irish stakeholders to strengthen our international reputation and drive the development of trade, tourism, investment, science, technology and innovation, culture and education. Embassies and Consulates General provide support for Ireland’s State Agencies by supporting their strategic objectives and activities in overseas markets. The role of the Mission network in promoting Ireland as a location to do business, invest, study and visit, is particularly pertinent in markets with limited or no State Agency presence.

In June 2018, the Government launched the Global Ireland initiative, which aims to double the impact and scope of Ireland’s global footprint by 2025. Global Ireland's targets include enhanced global engagement, the expansion of Ireland’s Embassy network, and the strengthening of Ireland’s State Agency presence overseas. Each of these measures will increase Ireland’s international visibility, facilitate market diversification and intensification, and deepen bilateral relations in support of the Government’s economic and political objectives.

This programme is now past the half way mark, with 14 new Missions open and operational. To date, new Embassies have opened in Wellington, Bogotá, Amman, Monrovia, Santiago de Chile, Rabat, Manila and Kyiv, and new Consulates General in Cardiff, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Manchester, Mumbai and Vancouver. We will also be reopening our Embassy in Tehran in 2023 and the Government has approved the opening of a further four new Missions in Dakar, Lyon, Miami and Toronto. New Missions have been opened in locations chosen on the basis, inter alia, of their potential to diversify our markets and increase trade and investment with Ireland. New Missions have been opened in locations chosen on the basis, inter alia, of their potential to diversify our markets and increase trade and investment with Ireland.

Officers based at our Missions engage in economic and public diplomacy to advance Ireland’s prosperity, as part of their overall duties to promote Ireland's interests and support our citizens. They work on a range of trade-related issues, including market access, regulatory compliance, visas, phyto-sanitary issues, and double taxation agreements. COVID-19 has impacted how everyone works, including our mission network. However, it has also provided opportunities for new ways of working and engaging, and has resulted in new tools and strategies for pursuing Ireland's interests.

The Mission network also supports Ministerial visits and trade missions, in partnership with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, other Government Departments and the State Agencies, which support the goal of securing high-level market access for companies based in Ireland that are aiming to grow business overseas, and in general helping deepen bilateral relations as the context in which trade and investment takes place.