Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan has told politicians and business leaders in the United States that the Green presence in Government will bring a new dimension to the transatlantic relationship.
Speaking at the end of a four-day visit to New York and Washington, Mr Ryan told The Irish Timesthat he wanted to get a message out to Ireland's partners in the US that the change in the Government's complexion is important.
"I would hope down the line that there will be opportunities from it. We could develop energy solutions in Ireland and a certain expertise and export them. I was bringing that message out about our ability to start trading as a green country and on that sustainable agenda," he said.
In New York, Mr Ryan heard from Speaker Christine Quinn about that city's attempt to deal with climate change and issues of sustainability, and later met New York governor Eliot Spitzer's environment and sustainability team. The Minister visited two Irish immigration centres and spoke to undocumented Irish immigrants before addressing IN-NYC, a network of well-heeled young Irish people living in New York.
Mr Ryan, who took the subway in New York and arrived in Washington by train, met in both cities with representatives from the telecommunications sector and on Capitol Hill saw Congressman Ed Markey, who chairs the telecommunications subcommittee in the House of Representatives.
Mr Ryan said that the US experience suggested that the most effective way of improving access to broadband services was to generate more meaningful competition.
"One of the hopes I would have is that we develop a competitive market in broadband, that we encourage competition between the cable companies, the telephone company, Eircom, between the mobile companies and companies like 3G. The example from overseas, here and elsewhere, is that where you have real competition between the companies, particularly between different platforms and different technologies, that's how you bring prices down and services up," he said.