Welsh chapter strengthens British-Irish trade links
The British Irish Chamber of Commerce has launched its new Welsh Chapter at an event hosted by law firm Browne Jacobson.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said that the British Irish Chamber of Commerce had done tremendous work in building the bilateral trade relationship between the two countries.
“The Ireland-Wales relationship has deepened in recent years, and the Ireland-Wales Shared Statement 2023 outlines our planned co-operation up to the end of the decade,” the minister added.
“One area of particular focus is advancing our economic and trade links; the establishment of the Welsh Chapter further assists our governments to achieve this commitment,” she said.
The launch at the Browne Jacobson Cardiff office (Tuesday 29 September) heard a keynote address from the First Minister of Wales, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS.
Deepen co-operation
There followed by short business panel discussion exploring opportunities to deepen trade and investment co-operation between Wales and Ireland.
Browne Jacobson has offices on both sides of the Irish Sea – in Cardiff, Dublin, and now Belfast following its merger with Davidson McDonnell in May.
Tim Edds (head of Cardiff at Browne Jacobson) said: “As a firm uniquely embedded at both ends of the Welsh-Irish trade corridor via our offices in Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin, we can understand the importance of having this kind of institutional platform to build and support trade relationships across these islands, act as a collective voice, and develop new economic opportunities across high-growth sectors such as green energy and life sciences.”
Browne Jacobson partner Jeanne Kelly added: “As both a co-founder of our Irish office, and a board member and past President of British Irish Chamber of Commerce, it is personally rewarding to welcome this expansion.”
Two-way trade flows
Wales and Ireland are longstanding trade and investment partners, with strong two-way trade flows underpinning close economic ties between the two nations.
Ireland is the third largest export market for Welsh products.
Wales First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: “Wales and Ireland have strong economic connections, with around 85 Irish owned companies investing £31 million in Wales last year, complementing our own strengths in sectors such as financial services, compound semi-conductors and cyber security.”