An Tánaiste Simon Harris
An Tánaiste Simon Harris
Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of Defence
Just days after President Trump took the oath of office in Washington DC, I was proud to become Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ireland’s relationship with the United States is a rich collage of connections – political, cultural, people-to-people, and, of course, economic.
From day one in this job, developing and deepening these links has been a top priority for me.
The historic connections between Ireland and the US straddle the ocean between us and reach from before the foundation of either State. When Kilkenny-born architect James Hoban was designing the iconic façade of 1600 Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, many say he was influenced by the architecture of Leinster House here in Dublin.
From Leinster House, to the White House, through the centuries, as we approach 250 years since the American Declaration of Independence, with over 100 years of diplomatic relations, and more than 60 years of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, remarkable links between our nations have been built. We will never forget how America sheltered our forbearers seeking a better life and travelled with us on the long road toward peace and reconciliation towards a brighter future for all who call this island home.
Today, Ireland’s dynamic two-way trade and investment relationship with the United States is worth more than €1 trillion every year. We trade in goods. We trade in services. Investment moves in both directions. Remarkably, Ireland is now the 6th largest source of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States. The top ten Irish ten employers in the US employ 115,000 people. US investment in Ireland is also of course a vital component of our prosperity and employment. I want to see even more pathways for trade and investment created and sustained.
Economic prosperity flows both ways. Employment is created. The benefits are mutual. And they are felt in communities across every State of the Union, and every Irish county.
That we have such a remarkable story to tell is thanks, in no small part, to the work of the American Chamber of Commerce and its members.
With your help, as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I want to protect and deepen this critical Irish American economic relationship.
The European Union is a critical part of this economic picture. The EU and American economies enjoy the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world. That needs to be allowed to grow and flourish, to the benefit of so many on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Government is also focused on increasing our own productivity and competitiveness. Ireland is a great place to do business, with a highly educated workforce that has a proven record of driving innovation and productivity. But we are not complacent. We are working to improve our offering, addressing the factors that we ourselves control, including housing, public services and infrastructure which we need to sustain a growing economy and society.
This strong economic platform is not something that I take for granted. We know there may be headwinds on the horizon.
But let me be clear, Ireland looks forward to doing business with America during President Trump’s term in office, just as we have with successive administrations.
As we do so, as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, I want to work with business. I want to hear from business. That is why I have moved responsibility for Trade Policy over to sit in the Department of Foreign Affairs. That is why I will chair a new Consultative Group on International Trade Policy, of which the American Chamber will be a part. That’s also why I am establishing a US-based Strategic Economic Advisory Panel.
I know that together - politicians, businesspeople, citizens, the members of the Government and indeed the members of this Chamber of Commerce - we can and will work together to protect, sustain and deepen this unique and mutually beneficial transatlantic partnership.