New trade, tourism and investment policy to be accelerated

Work on a new successor policy to the Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy is to be accelerated, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan has said.

Mr Flanagan today convened a special meeting of the Export Trade Council, focussed on the steps needed to support and enhance Irish business overseas in the wake of the Brexit referendum.

He said members of the Export Trade Council were briefed on the formulation of a new successor policy to the Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy, and its acceleration.

He said the “Trading Better” policy will set out a coherent medium term plan for 2017-2021 to enhance and improve “how we support Irish exports and investment”.

He said members agreed that the economic relationship within the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain will remain vitally important to us and our future economic prosperity.

"Clearly, the new trading arrangements that eventually emerge from the implementation of the British decision to leave the European Union will affect us. But they will not fundamentally alter the importance of the UK market to us, nor the importance of the Irish market to the UK."