Speech at a Business Dinner
Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan, Italy 15th June 2015
Thank you, Ambassador McDonagh, for your kind introduction.
I am delighted to be with you in Milan this evening, a city associated with names like Da Vinci, Bramante and Verdi and which remains today a byword for creativity, talent and design. Ancient Milan was, of course, founded by the Celts. Maybe that is why, as President of Ireland I sense a particular welcoming spirit here.
There is a deep tradition of friendship between the Irish and Italian people, based on strong, centuries-old social and cultural affinities. Although the ancient Romans never formally invaded our island, which they called Hibernia, there was already contact between our cultures in those times. The relationship was deepened particularly as our missionaries, whose monasteries had kept safe the ancient Latin texts, went forth to restore Christianity and education to Europe in the dark ages. The Irish St. Columbanus, for example, who left Ireland’s faraway shores eventually founded the monastery at Bobbio, where he died one thousand, four hundred years ago this year.
These ancient links are evidence of a very peopled and intellectually deep form of European identity in its very best sense and thankfully the exchange of ideas and knowledge, at every level is a process which continues today. It is on this foundation of exchange of peoples, culture, information, and experience that the healthy and thriving friendship between our peoples with dynamic and mutually beneficial economic trading relationships to us both, particularly in trade and investment, but also in English language education and other fields.
Irish-Italian trade has been increasing steadily over recent years and now is worth over Eleven Billion Euro. The range of products and services that are traded between our two nations is diverse – ranging from medical devices to dairy products, from telecommunication equipment to consumer goods.
The definition of culture in its widest sense to contain all aspects of life is a very attractive tendency favoured by both Irish and Italians. Thus, in the case of Ireland and Italy, the longstanding positive relationship between our two countries extends well beyond the boundaries of business and culture and politics into other important areas, including the recreational area. There has been much talk of loans in Europe. Throughout the course of the 1980s and 1990s we loaned you Liam Brady and, briefly, Robbie Keane. In more recent times, of course, you were kind enough to offer us the services of Mr Trappatoni. As a life-long fan of the beautiful game, it is a pleasure this evening to be close to the San Siro Stadium which has provided the world such wonderful entertainment.
Of course, Ireland and Italy are also close partners in the European Union, where we share the challenge of designing an exit from the economic and financial contraction of recent years and craft such a response as will give us a sustainable future built on the foundation of social cohesion, that will enable us to restore jobs, strengthen social solidarity and achieve stability in a continent whose social fabric has been battered by the crises of recent times.
Europe also faces immense political challenges at this time. As you in Italy are so clearly aware, the turmoil that has unfolded in the Middle East and in Africa has allowed new challenges on our shores but the EU is struggling to find a response. Together we must find how to act most effectively at international level in support of our shared values and in response to our neighbours who are seeking our help; realising that while global, international and regional recent events are sources inextricably linked to present flows, we are not allowed by our international human rights and humanitarian obligations.
These issues form part of an important set of meetings that continue in Europe. These are issues that concern the nature and values of the Union itself. The challenges are great and unavoidable and we must hope that together, in a spirit of solidarity, the EU can draw upon its founding vision and courage to address the challenges we face within our borders and at the global level.
While it is sometimes tempting to slip into despondency at the depth of the challenges that we face, we should remember previous challenges faced and overcome. Those Europeans who experienced the tragedies of the last century could not have imagined that we would have such close cooperation and inter-connectedness between 28 sovereign nations as we have been enjoying. Perhaps these are moments of shared vision and solidarity that we have been squandering. We must find the capacity to find shared solutions and to provide wider leadership on issues such as the conflicts on our borders, the challenge of migrants and refugees arriving on our shores, climate change, human rights and development and above all a strategy for sustainable growth and decent work that will enhance our social cohesion, our common purposes.
The occasion of my visit to Milan is to participate at ‘Ireland’s National Day’ at EXPO tomorrow. Given the importance of EXPO in highlighting the creative potential of countries from all around the world, it is entirely appropriate that I should thank you for this opportunity as President of Ireland, for this valuable opportunity to meet with such influential Italian business leaders as yourselves.
EXPO is a global showcase, with a focus on sustainability and the challenge of feeding the planet in a sustainable way. Ireland is proud of its world class food production. We are fortunate to have a countryside and climate that enable us to export beef, dairy and other products to the growing population of the world.
Ireland has long been known as a producer of some of the best food and ingredients in the world. This is particularly true of our exports to Italy where our food is prized and to which we exported over €380 million worth of food and food products last year. It is not just consumers, of course, who know about Irish food; it is the experts as well. You may be aware that Italian Masterchef filmed an episode in Ireland earlier this year, with culinary leaders such as Michelin star Chef Carlo Cracco pointing out just how good our beef is.
The export of food is, of course, an opportunity for Ireland, but increasingly it is being emphasised as a sector that carries new and widely understood responsibilities, and where issues of sustainability are becoming far more central. Our food promotion agency, Bord Bia, works hard to support the entire industry and has recently undertaken a unique sustainability initiative called ‘Origin Green.’ Origin Green is Ireland’s quest to become a world-leading producer of verified, sustainably produced food and drink, and the initiative now includes the manufacturers responsible for 75% of our total food and drink exports and 90% of our beef producers.
Italy remains the 4th largest market in Europe for Irish exports and, as a G8 country with an economy of €1.5 trillion and almost 60 million consumers, offers substantial opportunities for our exporters and their partners. Since 2012 there has been a 50 % increase in Irish companies having a presence in the Italian market. It is also encouraging to see the number of Italian companies established in Ireland and they are adding to the growing number of firms choosing to locate in Ireland. All of these relationships show how collaboration between Ireland and Italy works so well to our mutual benefit.
Tourism is another sector of great importance to both of our economies. The strength of Italy in global terms is obvious but it is a source of great pride to us in Ireland that so many people from all over the world choose to visit our island. Italians are particularly enthusiastic visitors and represent the third largest group of tourists from mainland Europe with around a quarter of a million coming annually.
One of our most exciting developments of recent years has been The Wild Atlantic Way – some 2,500 kilometres of the most captivating coastal drive in the world, stretching from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork. The Wild Atlantic Way takes travellers through some of the most dramatic scenery on the edge of Europe, a coastline that has shaped the development of its people, communities and settlements. The Wild Atlantic Way has also been referenced in the design of our pavilion at EXPO with sheer slate walls in the interior echoing the stone cliffs which Ireland is so famous for.
There are of course, may I suggest to you, many reasons to visit Ireland at any time, but this year and the years following have a special significance. In 2015 events of all descriptions are happening across the country. This year marks 150 years since the birth of Irish poet and Nobel Laureate, WB Yeats, an anniversary that is being celebrated throughout the years. 2015 is also the year of Irish Design - ID2015 – which had a very successful exhibition as part of Milan Design Week here in April.
These areas of opportunity and cooperation, in the fields of food, tourism and the natural environment, and culture and creativity, reflect those areas of life to which our two peoples attach the greatest importance. We have so much in common and much to share with each other.
Finally, may I say how delighted I am to have had the opportunity this evening to meet with you. Many of you have ignited and shaped outstanding business relationships between your companies and Ireland’s leading enterprises. We know that you have the entire world to choose from when seeking partners in innovation. That many of you turned to Ireland and Irish companies when making those critical business decisions is deeply valued by us in Ireland. I am confident that Ireland will continue to serve you well and that our business relationships and, more importantly, the friendship between our peoples from which they spring, will go from strength to strength.
Thank you very much.