14th February 2022
An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD will today begin a trade mission to France.
France is now Ireland’s closest neighbour in the European Union and is an important trading partner. Over €28 billion of goods and services are traded between the two countries every year.
The Tánaiste will begin his trip in Marseille, attending a meeting of EU Trade Ministers, organised by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This informal meeting of EU Trade Ministers will discuss the Union’s approach to the next Ministerial Conference of the WTO, where Trade and Health, Sustainable Trade in Fisheries, Agriculture and WTO reform are expected to be discussed.
Ministers will also discuss trade aspects of the upcoming EU-African Union Summit and review progress with the agreed EU-US trade and technology priorities.
Finally, Ministers will meet with the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee’s Chairman, Bernd Lange MEP, to debate the EU’s trade policy more generally.
Following the conclusion of the informal Trade Council meeting in Marseille, the Tánaiste will continue on to Paris, where he will meet with several innovative, ambitious Enterprise Ireland companies, scaling in France and visit the start-up campus “Station F” and HQ of French Tech. The Tánaiste will also meet with French companies including four IDA client companies across the pharma and financial services sectors.
Speaking about the trade mission, An Tánaiste said:
“France is now Ireland’s closest EU neighbour. Deep economic links already exist between our two countries, with many Irish companies making a really significant contribution across a broad range of sectors here, including construction, engineering and tech. We want to strengthen these ties. Irish companies have a huge amount to offer and I’m looking forward to meeting with some that have had already had real success by scaling up in France. I will also meet with French companies investing in Ireland across the pharma and financial services sectors.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting with my fellow Trade Ministers, it’s been a while since we could meet in person and the informal Trade Council will be an excellent opportunity to hear from them and see what other countries are doing to bounce back after the pandemic. We have a busy agenda, discussing the next WTO meeting, the upcoming EU-African Union Summit and trade policy more generally.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
He will also meet with the following Enterprise Ireland client companies: Ecocem, Tricel and Flipdish. Further information on these companies below:
Ecocem was established in 2001 and its technology enables cement manufacturers to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rapidly, providing high performance cements with significantly lower clinker content. It has a joint venture in France with the steelmaker Arcelor Mittal, which makes it easier to source the raw material GGBS (ground–granulated blast furnace slag), a by-product of steel manufacture and the ingredient used to make their current low carbon cement.
Tricel was originally formed in 1973 and was first known as Killarney Plastics. Its initial area of focus was the manufacturer of durable composite and GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic). Over time this family-owned business quickly expanded into a successful multinational corporation known globally as Tricel, whose operating divisions span Water Storage, Environmental, Construction and Distribution, including materials and oils. Tricel has 12 operating locations throughout Europe and supplies a comprehensive range of products to over 50 countries globally.
Flipdish was founded in 2015 in Ireland and provides a platform that caters to restaurateurs and hoteliers of all sizes to allow restaurant customers to order and pay online (website & app for click & collect and deliveries), and on-site (QR code and self-service kiosks). The company also offers marketing, loyalty and retention solutions. In late 2021, this Irish company announced its partnership with Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, in collaboration with WIZZMEDIA. It is now possible to order more than 1500 references for delivery using Flipdish's technology on the Galeries Lafayette Gourmet website.
Station F start up campus
Station F opened in Paris in 2017 and is the World’s largest start up campus with 1000+ start-ups, 30+ programmes and a full range of services dedicated to helping entrepreneurs bring their ambitious ideas to life. It is also the HQ of French Tech, the French Finance Ministry Unit in charge of start-up policy and financing.
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