Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Meets with Council Senior Staff, Fellows

WASHINGTON—The Council on Competitiveness was honored today to host a senior delegation from Ireland led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan T.D., and the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, H.E. Michael Collins.

“It was a tremendous honor to meet our friends from Ireland,” said C. William Booher, Jr., chief operating officer at the Council on Competitiveness. “We have common interests and common challenges, and we are looking forward to continuing this productive relationship to enhance prosperity in both nations.”

The Council has a long and productive relationship with Ireland, stemming from the landmark April 2004 Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and “InterTradeIreland.” Today’s meeting touched on a number of key issues, most notably the mutual need to address energy competitiveness. The Council's upcoming National Energy Summit & International Dialogue will be the critical forum to engage Ireland and America’s other international partners to move forward with comprehensive, sustainable energy solutions. The Council will host the Summit September 23-24, 2009, in Washington.