New trade links were forged today between Dublin and the capital cities of the 10 new EU member states.
Mayors and business groups from capital cities in Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and Cyprus signed a protocol of friendship with Dublin to promote economic, social and cultural ties.
The four-day "Building Bridges through Capital Cities" event was organised by Dublin City Development Board (DCDB), Dublin City Council, European Information Centre and the European Commission.
The conference aims to encourage two-way trade between the 10 new states and Ireland. Several Irish companies have already built up close business ties with the new EU states, which joined the 15-member bloc on May 1st, 2004.
Although two-thirds of Irish exports went to the existing 15 EU countries, only 1 per cent goes to the 10 new states, which have a combined population of 75 million.
DCDB director Peter Finnegan urged Irish firms to exploit new trade opportunities with the 10 countries or they could lose out. "If Irish companies are not proactive, they will miss out and these markets will be closed to us in the long-term," he said.
Addressing today's conference, the Minister of State for Michael Ahern explained to representatives from the new member states how the EU helped Ireland develop from a closed agricultural country into a competitive economic force today.
PA