[caption id="attachment_69903" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Taoiseach Enda Kenny speaking at the forum. "]
This is an edited version of the address delivered by Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the "Invest in Ireland Forum" held recently at New York University in Manhattan.
It is an honor and a privilege for me to address you here this afternoon. I am delighted to see so many of you here and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to be with us.
At the outset I would like to thank President Clinton for helping us to organize this event and for being with us here today.
Earlier today, President Clinton kindly hosted an investment roundtable event just next door, where some of the most important and influential chief executives in the United States attended.
President Clinton offered to host today's event when he attended the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin last October.
That forum was a terrific event, when over 200 members of the Global Irish Network returned to Ireland to offer their advice, assistance and ideas as we work to rebuild our country and our economy.
It is terrific to see so many members of that Global Irish Network among the audience here today. I know that you are committed to Ireland, and I hope that by the actions we in government are taking to restore confidence, rebuild the economy and create opportunities for employment that you will be proud ambassadors for our country.
You, perhaps as well or better than anyone else, know the underlying strengths that we have: the same strengths that, just an hour ago, I was explaining to potential investors.
And I know that here, too, are many potential investors. Whether you are part of a company that already has investment or operations in Ireland, or is considering it, or maybe hasn't even got to that stage yet, I want to give you one loud, clear, message: Ireland is open for business. And there might never be a better time to take advantage of it.
The combination of our underlying national traits as a people and a nation, together with the tough but necessary adjustments we are making to our economy and our operating environment, in my view represents a truly unique and exceptional opportunity for investment.
At the investment roundtable discussion earlier, I explained that the adjustment in our economy over recent years means that Ireland is now much more competitive. Wages are lower, and labor is more plentiful: our unit labor costs are expected to show an improvement of 20 percent relative to the euro area as a whole between 2008 and 2013.
Real estate, both commercial and residential, is significantly more affordable than just a few years ago.
Our exports are booming. We recorded a nine percent annual increase in unadjusted exports in November, the second highest level on record. Overall, exports amounted to over 100 percent of GDP last year.
Investment in research and development has trebled in the past decade and we are committed to continued investment in this key area. _
These factors have made Ireland even more attractive for the many multinational companies who already recognize the value we offer: the quality of our workforce, the business-friendly environment, the ease of access to European and wider markets, the quality of life for ex-pats and other employees.
I also said that they shouldn't just take my word for it. Ireland stacks up very well under international comparisons.
The IBM Global Location Trends Report placed Ireland first in the world in terms of the value of projects and investments it attracts.
The World Bank's annual "Doing Business" report for 2011 found Ireland to be the most supportive business environment in the euro area.
According to Ernst & Young, we are the most globalized in the western world, and second globally.
So it's no surprise that so many industry and market leaders are based in Ireland: 80 percent of the top global banks have operations in Ireland. Nine of the top ten pharmaceutical companies are in Ireland. Eight of the top ten technology companies are in Ireland and we are increasingly the location of choice in Europe for new economy, 'born-on-the-internet' companies, such as Google, Twitter and Paypal.
These are just a few examples. There are many more.
I know that the Irish people have been going through tough times lately. The adjustments that have to be made, to get our public finances back on track, are difficult but necessary.
But I believe that, if we show a clear pathway, if there is light at the end of the tunnel, if there is hope of a better future ahead, and above all, if there is a plan for the way forward, with strong leadership, then the people will respond.
The year 2016 will mark a hugely significant centenary in Irish history. We will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, a defining moment in the country's quest for independence.
I have another goal for 2016. I want Ireland to be the best small country in the world in which to do business. I want it to be the best small country in which to raise a family, to study, to work and to grow old.
But for this to happen, we need Ireland to be a world leading location for business activity. This is the key to our future success and prosperity.
I and the government that I have the privilege to lead are determined to do all that we can to achieve this goal.
That will mean taking further difficult decisions in the times ahead, but we will stay the course, we will map out that pathway, and we will emerge from the tunnel into the bright light of a great future for our people.
When we took office, we hit the ground running. And we are keeping up our determination to change the economic environment, to incentivize investment and business, and to create and maintain jobs.
Just yesterday, we published the 2012 Finance Bill which includes specific provisions to support business and investment, including making it more attractive for Irish companies to market their goods and services abroad and for overseas companies to assign key employees to Ireland.
In the next few weeks, we will launch several new initiatives to keep us on track towards our goals.
We will have a new Action Plan for investment, growth and jobs, to create 100,000 jobs over the next five years.
We will launch a new program - Pathways to Work - to help ensure that each unemployed person is assessed and offered opportunities for training to learn new skills and improve their employment prospects.
And we will launch an innovative project called Succeed in Ireland under which people who generate new jobs back home in Ireland will receive a special job creator fee.
I assure you that we will not waver in our task. But we want, indeed we need, all the help we can get on the way.
Those of you here today who are Irish, or of Irish ancestry, you know what I am talking about. You know how determined we as a nation can be once we put our mind to something.
You too can play your part. Whether it is by increasing investment, or creating new jobs, or buying from Irish suppliers, or encouraging your colleagues, your friends, your business contacts to think Ireland and think Irish, every little counts.
And those of you who are not Irish, at least not yet, I would urge you to take a closer look. You might be surprised, but you certainly won't be disappointed by what you find.
I said at the outset that the events here today were the brainchild of President Bill Clinton, when he attended the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin last October.
President Clinton, and indeed his good wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both have a long and deeply appreciated association with Ireland. They were instrumental in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland.
They have been consistent supporters of Ireland, and the Irish people, here in the United States. And as today's event shows, President Clinton maintains a strong interest in, and concern for, the economic wellbeing of our country.
