28. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the key priorities for trade under her Department’s new Statement of Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38379/26]

On 12th May, just over a week ago, I published my Department’s new Statement of Strategy which will guide the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade over the course of the next three years. There are six primary goals in the Strategy, with Goal number 5 in particular aiming to deepen our global engagement and drive our trade and prosperity.

This Statement of Strategy comes at a key moment for my Department as Ireland will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from the 1st July. Given the current turbulence in the international trading environment, it is key that we maintain our competitiveness and prosperity in Ireland and Europe through engagement with diverse markets. During the Presidency I will chair the Foreign Affairs Council on Trade which will work to strengthen and diversify our trade relations with reliable, global trade partners and will seek to build a more ambitious and mutually beneficial EU-US trade and investment relationship, in line with the on-going implementation of the EU-US Joint Statement.  Under the Strategy I will prioritise an ambitious EU Trade policy that supports the growth potential of Irish businesses, particularly SMEs. In that context, I warmly welcome the agreement reached with the European Parliament in the early hours of Wednesday 20 May on the EU-US deal. Stability in the EU US trade relationship benefits us all.

In relation to our ambitions for Ireland’s trade, the Government Action Plan on Market Diversification was developed jointly by my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment with input from other Government Departments and Agencies. The plan seeks to support Ireland’s businesses in adapting to changing trading environments by striking out into emerging markets and deepening their engagement in existing core markets. There has been significant progress on the plan, with 10 completed early and the majority of medium-term actions well underway.

Specific actions under DFAT’s responsibility that have been completed include the 2026 St Patrick’s Day Programme, the International Sports Diplomacy Strategy, the establishment and meeting of the Joint Economic Commission with the United Arab Emirates (with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment) and an increase in staffing resources for our overseas missions directly linked to diversification as announced in December. The recent Ireland-LAC Trade Horizons Conference was another key action under the plan.

In line with the Action Plan, there was an enhanced focus on trade and investment for the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day ‘Promoting Ireland Programme’. This is also set out in our Statement of Strategy under the promoting Ireland actions. The programmes undertaken by ministers all emphasised trade, investment and tourism to help create jobs in Ireland, strengthen the relationship with key economic partners, and engage with Ireland’s diaspora. My own programme in Boston featured a number of trade promotion engagements with EI, IDA, and Bord Bia.

The Statement of Strategy is also about engaging with all of our economic stakeholders who have a role to play in advancing our economic prosperity. As part of this I also engage directly with business stakeholders to gain their insights on the changing trading environment through the Government Trade Forum.  Deputies can find the first Implementation Progress Report on the Market Diversification Action Plan and the agendas and minutes of the Government Trade Forum on the Digital Ireland House, Ireland.ie.