The mid-west region is a difficult sell to foreign investors due to the lack of access to mainland Europe from Shannon Airport, according to the Irish Business and Employers Confederation.
A report titled A Business Perspective on the Way Forward for the Mid-West launched yesterday at IBEC's mid-west branch's a.g.m. recommends that a business strategy for Shannon Airport should be developed to ensure the airport's maximum capacity of four million passengers is attained by 2010. Development of the Shannon-to-Dublin route, with key services in the morning from Shannon and a return flight at night, is critical, it said.
Any change to the Ireland/US aviation bilateral agreement must be introduced on a phased basis following proper consultation with business, the report recommends. Funding for marketing of the airport should be made available to mitigate any negative effects over the medium term of any changes to the bilateral.
Top priority must be given to accelerating investment and completion of key projects such as the fourth River Shannon crossing and the Limerick-to-Galway motorway, IBEC said.
IBEC in the mid-west has called for reform of the way regional planning is conducted and urged that regional players be given greater autonomy, ownership and control.
Mr Liam Ryan, its regional president, said: "Business has to deal with severe competition in the global marketplace. The managing authorities in this region must reflect this new reality. Public services must deliver value for money."
He added that "a key concern is the dearth of foreign direct investment (FDI) projects attracted to the region over the last five years relative to other parts of the country. The business community is prepared to assist Shannon Development and the Industrial Development Authority to attract FDI to this region. We must also continue to develop our indigenous industry and develop synergies with the multinational sector."
Regional director Mr Adrian Beatty considered that the key message from the report is that we can no longer view the mid-west region in isolation.
Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary must now be treated as part of the entire west of Ireland if we are to progress. Only by linking the gateways of Cork, Limerick and Galway in a national economic corridor can we hope to create a counterbalance to Dublin.