Economy Minister Highlights 'All-Island Economic Opportunities'

Economy Minister, Conor Murphy, has said that it is "time to grasp all-island economic opportunities".

Minister Murphy held meetings in Dublin with Catherine Martin, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Neale Richmond, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The Minister also met with cross-border trade and enterprise agencies, Industrial Development Authority (IDA) and Enterprise Ireland, respectively.

Minister Murphy said: "I believe an all-island economy has tremendous unrealised potential. The Windsor Framework protects the all-Ireland economy, and we know cross-border trading and tourism is flourishing. Now there is a degree of political certainty on our trading arrangements it is time to grasp all-island economic opportunities. A key driver will be tourism, and I was delighted to meet with Minister Martin to discuss the potential of our all-Ireland tourist offering and the need for strategic collaboration. We discussed how the tourism industry North & South can be a driver for sustainable and regionally balanced economic growth across the whole island."

Speaking about cross-border trade, the Minister said: "Building and sustaining cross-border cooperation and trade is key to economic growth. Exports from the north to the south increased by almost 20% in 2022. My department and partner bodies, such as InterTradeIreland and Invest NI are primed to accelerate business growth on a cross-border and all-island basis, resulting in increased cross-border exports. As an all-island economy we can operate from a position of strength, keeping pace with developments in global markets and growth."