Seán Ryan
Question:69 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on her participation in the US-Ireland business summit in Washington. [20372/02]
Other Questions. - US-Ireland Business Summit.
Participation in the US-Ireland business summit was primarily focused on enhancing trade and investment, facilitating strategic business alliances between the United States and Ireland, and highlighting the very good progress being achieved on North-South co-operation. The summit, organised by Susan Davis International, was held in Washington from 4 to 6 September. The Government was one of a number of sponsors of the event, which was attended by senior business people and academics from the United States and the island of Ireland. The summit was themed around three key areas of economic activity, namely, information and communications technology, biotechnology and financial services. Individual sessions addressed many of the important issues which are impacting on these sectors, such as market development and entry, research and development commercialisation, education and skills resourcing, intellectual property rights, competitiveness and corporate governance.
The Tánaiste was accompanied at the summit by officials of the Department and also the chief executive officers of the enterprise development agencies. Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Don Evans, headed the US delegation and Sir Reg Empey, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, headed the Northern Ireland delegation.
In her address to the summit, the Tánaiste spoke of the success of our economy, the strengths of the workforce and the challenge to reposition Ireland as a world class location for research and innovation. During the course of the summit she had meetings with US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr. Tommy Thompson, and Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Evans. In her meeting with Secretary Evans she discussed US concerns on the implications of EU expansion on its bilateral investment treaties with the new EU accession countries, and issues surrounding the differing approaches of the EU and US to genetically modified organisms.
Additional informationThe summit resulted in a number of important outcomes, which included the proposed establishment of a US-Ireland research partnership – an island-wide university-industry research partnership programme to further technology transfer, identify new avenues for collaboration and promote and foster world class capability for research and development in ways that are mutually beneficial; an invitation from the US National Science Foundation to Irish researchers to become associated with the development of the NSF high-performance network grid; an announcement by Secretary Thompson to lead a business mission to Ireland later this month; the development of co-operation between the US Council on Competitiveness, the National Competitiveness Council and the Northern Ireland Centre for Competitiveness; and an endorsement of the Digital Island concept currently being undertaken at the direction of the North-South Ministerial Council.
The summit represented a unique occasion for Irish business to discuss new alliances, new trade and investment opportunities with other business leaders from the United States and Northern Ireland. I expect the contacts made will result in increased business and investment on the island of Ireland.
At the conference, did the Tánaiste raise the serious concerns this country has about the dramatic drop in foreign direct investment over recent years, amounting to approximately 60% if one takes into account all areas of the economy? Did she raise with the US Secretary of Commerce her concerns and those of IDA Ireland about the 3% fall in employment in the last annual report, arising from the drop in foreign direct investment? Did she explain the concerns many Irish people have in respect of the UNCTAD report, which showed our position in respect of foreign direct investment falling over the past year or two? Did she obtain any general views on what might be done to sustain direct investment in this country, especially in the midlands, the north-west and deprived areas of our cities, where there are now significant redundancies and job losses?
On 6 September 2002, during the course of the US-Ireland business summit, the Tánaiste called on the Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Evans, and she was accompanied by the Secretary General. Secretary Evans raised two substantive issues, both EU-related, namely GMOs and the US bilateral investment treaties with accession states. On the first item he stressed the need for political leadership in the EU to overcome consumer concerns. He wished to see circumstances in which judgment based on the latest, most-comprehensive scientific information could be used to address legitimate concerns.
On the second item, he stated that the US could not see why the Commission was insisting on BITs between the US and accession countries having to be negotiated. The Minister noted the concerns of Secretary Evans but she indicated that a consumer lobby in the European Union was raising legitimate concerns on the GMO question, which the Union considered needed to be addressed if there was to be a full buy-in. I will forward a reply on the other matter raised by the Deputy.
Did the Minister raise, even in a general way, the concerns of Ireland and other European Union member states about the growing tendency towards protectionism by the Bush Administration? Events such as those on 11 September 2001 appear to be used as an excuse to move the United States towards protectionism, especially with regard to traditional industries. This is against the best interests of world trade and trade between small open economies, such as Ireland, and the United States.
In her discussions with Secretary Thompson and the other Secretary she met, the Minister mainly addressed the concerns raised by the United States on the implications of the expansion of the European Union. I will get the details of the discussions and will forward them to the Deputy.