Luncheon discussion in Brussels for the visit of Irish Minister of European Affairs and Data Protection

On 18th March 2015, Schuman Associates and Enterprise Ireland co-organised a high-level luncheon discussion in Brussels for the visit of Irish Minister of European Affairs and Data Protection, Mr. Dara Murphy for the occasion of St. Patrick's Day.

Senior members of the Irish and Belgian business community were invited to contribute in a discussion around improving the relations between Belgium and Ireland and how Irish business can better succeed in Europe.

Opening Remarks were made by H.E. Eamonn MacAodha, Ambassador of Ireland to Belgium, the Minister commented on the importance of trade between Ireland and Belgium. A number of inputs were made by various groups in discussion around successes, challenges and how businesses can improve further. Whereas Ireland is a talent source for many multinationals, language and cultural awareness needs to improve. Other areas for development highlighted include the need to unlock local funding as the access to finance is key and companies need to be better informed about local funding opportunities in the markets they are targeting for expansion.
It was also stated that Irish companies need to know more about the markets that are on their doorstep and that sector specific expertise will remain a crucial challenge in Ireland. In this context, the Minister spoke about a new 85 Million Euro programme - Insight - The Centre for Data Analytics at the Science Foundation Ireland research centre.