Ireland’s way ahead An Tánaiste · Eamon Gilmore TD

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade answers eolas’ questions on our place in the world after the bail-out and shares his aims for the State in 2014.

What more needs to be done to restore Ireland’s reputation?

We have worked hard over the past few years to ensure that the progress made in stabilising our public finances and rebuilding the economy is recognised by our international partners, global media, and potential investors. This has been an important part of the work of my department and our embassy network, as well as that of the Taoiseach and other members of the Government.

And we have seen the result of those efforts. Ireland is now regarded abroad as a country that has taken the hard decisions and delivered on them. As a result, our bond yields are now back to near historic lows and Ireland is also seen as a good place to invest and to do business again.

The fact that Forbes magazine now ranks Ireland as the best country in the world in which to do business is further evidence of how our efforts have yielded positive results. And, crucially, all of this has contributed to job creation, which is the Government’s top priority.

Last year was the best year for a decade in terms of net job creation from foreign direct investment. There are a lot of reasons for this but not least among them is that the executives making these decisions to invest in Ireland hear from us and from their peers that Ireland is doing the right things to ensure a stable, growing economy.

However, we know too well that reputations can be damaged more easily than they can be restored. We need to keep getting it right in terms of our public finances and supporting economic growth. We also need to make sure that this progress continues to be seen and heard by our partners in Europe and around the world, by potential investors, potential customers for our exporting companies, potential tourists and students – and by our diaspora, which is a hugely valuable resource for us in having our story heard around the world.

What do you hope to achieve in the foreign policy review?

If you look back to 1996, when the last review took place, the internet was four years old, the Good Friday Agreement wouldn’t be reached for another two, the EU had fifteen members and the global economy looked very different to today.

The world today is going through major change. Global challenges, such as cyber-security, climate change and growing food challenges, require global solutions. Emerging powers and economies in Asia, Africa and South America offer new opportunities while changing how we engage internationally.

Through our foreign policy, we pursue Ireland’s economic prosperity and promote peace and security at home and in the wider world. We also make a direct contribution to our well-being as a people through our work promoting trade, tourism and investment, by strengthening relations with old partners and new, by engaging as an EU member and by promoting our culture and our values.

This review is about updating our foreign policy so that we can continue to promote our values and interests effectively, in the EU and in a changing world. Essentially, it is about giving Ireland an edge to succeed internationally.

If the UK left the EU, what impact would that have on Ireland?

Ireland is a fully committed member of the EU, and we see our future as an active and constructive contributor in shaping the future of that union of over 500 million people.

I fully respect the debate currently under way in the UK but it is my strong view that a UK detachment from Europe would be bad for Europe, bad for Britain, and bad for Ireland. Our common EU membership has had an important and positive influence on bilateral relations between Ireland and the UK, and it has helped to shape the way we work together across a whole range of key policy areas.

At EU level, we have worked together on shared interests such as the single market and free trade. This relationship would inevitably be forced to change if Britain was no longer a member of the EU. At a time when increasingly closer co-operation is the hallmark of international success, I do not believe it would be in anyone’s interests should our nearest neighbour exit the EU.

How much of a role has economic diplomacy played in the recovery?

Economic diplomacy has been fundamental to the progress we have made in turning the economy around. This recovery has been export-led and our work in opening new markets for Irish exporters has been central to job creation.

For example, when I visited Turkey earlier this year, I was joined by 24 Irish companies supported by Enterprise Ireland who were able to announce more than €30 million in new business. The Taoiseach’s recent visit to Japan secured the announcement of the reopening of the Japanese market to Irish beef, worth an estimated €12-15 million in new exports and with potential for further expansion.

Last year, our embassies abroad supported 124 high-level visits with a significant economic and trade dimension to 43 countries, and organised many hundreds of other meetings and engagements to promote trade and investment. This work is making a real impact and has helped to get us to a position where 1,200 new jobs a week are being created in the Irish economy.

In this coming year, what one thing do you want to achieve?

I want the recovery in our economy to take root. In 2013, the pervasive gloom of the previous five years gave way to cautious optimism and hope. The numbers of people at work increased and the economy began to grow again. Over the course of 2014, I want people to begin to feel more secure in their jobs and their homes.

Above all, I want those who are currently out of work or living abroad by dint of necessity to find work or a pathway to work. We came a long way as a country in 2013 – and the road ahead is still fraught with difficulty – but at last we have regained hope and a measure of self-confidence, and we really can’t underestimate the power of that.