Forfás Study Claims European Single Market Has Been Good For Ireland

The study looked at the extent to which Ireland has benefited from the Single Market, analyses where barriers remain to further integration, tests some of the assumptions about the Single Market against the experiences of Irish businesses and consumers and identifies what Ireland's priorities should be to ensure that businesses and consumers can exploit the EU Single Market to its full potential.

The study contends that the Single Market has been important both for the growth and diversification of Irish trade and for enhancing the attractiveness of Ireland for foreign direct investment, though it notes that there are structural barriers that shape and impact on which countries Ireland is likely to do business with.

The study also claims that the Single Market has delivered real benefits for consumers, in terms of the range and quality of the goods and services available making it easier for Irish consumers to purchase goods from other Member States.

However, the study also points out that Irish consumers continue to pay higher prices than many of their European Union counterparts for some essential goods and services.

Welcoming the report, Minister Martin said "it was a significant contribution to our understanding of how the Single Market had impacted on the Irish economy, including Irish consumers".

He anticipated that the study would be of interest to the European Commission and said that it was a "good example of how a Member State could influence thinking at a European level in ways that would bring practical benefits to Irish businesses and consumers".

Minister McGuinness said that the study had got "beyond the high level issues such as the need for EU legislation and identified practical changes to the operation of the Single Market that would benefit Irish businesses and consumers".

Dr Eoin Gahan from Forfás commented that, "This report, through a combination of consultation and analysis provides a good picture of the positive impact the Single Market has had on Ireland and our economy.

"While there have been clear benefits for Irish businesses and consumers, the study reinforces the view emerging at EU Commission level that some obstacles to trade do persist, and that the Single Market can be enhanced by looking more closely at the practical application of EU measures on the ground."

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Forfás will make a presentation on the Forfás study to the Commission and the other Member States, at a meeting later this month of a Commission-chaired committee set up to improve the functioning of the Single Market on the ground in Member States.