Address by Mr. Noel Treacy T.D.,Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce,on the Occasion of His Presentation of The Shell Livewire Awards, Croke Park on 17th May 2001 at 11.30am.

It is with great pleasure that I was able to accept the invitation from Angela Brady the Director of Shell LiveWire, to present the Shell Live Wire Business Start-up Awards for the third year in succession, here in historic Croke Park.

These awards are a celebration of the success of the internationally successful Shell LiveWire programme that I launched in Ireland just three years ago. The tremendous growth in the popularity of this programme is due in no small measure to the efforts of some very committed organisations; Shell Live Wire, Bank Of Ireland and the County and City Enterprise Boards, all of whom have supported this programme since its inception; and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Skills Group International who came on board as additional sponsors last year. I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge their total support in helping Irelands young entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

Ireland has attracted much attention as one of the most vibrant and impressive economies in the world with a performance that is unmatched among industrialised countries. During the 1990’s Ireland outperformed all other European economies with a growth rate of three times the EU average.

This substantial growth would not have taken place without the necessary economic factors being in place. This Government has worked very hard to improve Irelands economic situation by a partnership approach to managing our economy. It has also implemented a tax regime which supports enterprise and employment, thus creating a suitable business environment.

Developing a thriving enterprise economy is a key goal for this Government. Creating an environment that is conducive to the success of enterprise is what will drive the creation of jobs, investment and growth, and is crucial, not just for micro-enterprises, but for the long-term prosperity of the Irish economy.

A true spirit of enterprise can only succeed in an environment that nurtures it. The education sector also has a vital role to play within this "innovation process" and in the creation of an enterprise culture. If we hope to maintain our current economic success, it is vital that we continue to provide a highly educated and motivated labour force with a wide range of skills so that we can anticipate and adjust to changes that are likely to affect our competitive position.

While the national climate for enterprise has been favourable, credit must be attributed to the people who take the risks. Awards such as these provide valuable and well deserved recognition to many small businesses. They also serve to:-

• complement the existing supports which our Government and Business give to new enterprises
• serve as a public acknowledgement so richly deserved by Ireland’s small entrepreneurs; and,
• help to promote "Role Models" which are important to highlight entrepreneurship as a viable and rewarding career path.

Entrepreneurship is a formidable challenge! It requires discipline, flair, self-belief and vision, and a wide range of skills and knowledge to get started. The important thing for anyone setting up a business to remember is that they need never feel that they are alone. There is a whole range of supports there for people in business at whatever stage of the cycle - be it at the ideas stage, the actual start-up phase, or a well established company which is seeking to grow and expand.

Since their establishment in 1992, the City and County Enterprise Boards have provided financial and technical support to the development of small enterprises. They have done this by providing a first point of contact and an integrated package of supports, geared towards the development needs of aspiring entrepreneurs and will continue to play a pro-active role in assisting micro-enterprises face the challenges of the 21st century.

Programmes such as Shell LiveWIRE are also providing invaluable help to entrepreneurs by providing practical business knowledge and enhancing entrepreneurial skills. Since the Programme’s inception in 1999, over 1,000 young people between 16 and 30 years old, have registered into the scheme to receive help on setting up in business for themselves. In addition, over 100 entrepreneurs have already undergone free intensive management training courtesy of the Bank of Ireland. I understand also that in 2001, LiveWIRE intend to offer these programmes to another 50 young owner managers to help ensure the success of their businesses. Through their support for community programmes in the fields of enterprise, education and the environment, Shell have shown that they are firmly committed to promoting and encouraging an enterprise environment.

The current economic climate provides plentiful opportunities for small businesses to prosper and grow. Indeed, the variety of companies among the finalists here today bears testimony to the range of opportunities which are available to the entrepreneur with the vision and determination to pursue them. I would love to see more and more young people looking seriously at self-employment as a real career option, coming to the realisation that their ideas can become the businesses of the future.

I would like to say a few words about the forthcoming referendum on the Treaty of Nice. The main purpose of the Treaty is to prepare the Union for the significant expansion in its membership anticipated in the next few years.

From our point of view, we have benefited enormously from the single market, as exports are very important for our economic growth. The internal market will be extended to embrace up to 500 million people, thereby giving us additional opportunities for increasing our exports. I believe most of us know that Europe is good for business. The Structural and Cohesion funds have also been vital in developing our infrastructure.

Naturally the Union has recognised that to continue to operate effectively with many new Member States, some changes will be necessary to the Union’s institutions and decision-making procedures. These necessary changes will affect the Commission, voting weights in the Council, the European Parliament and other bodies, and extends the range of issues subject to qualified majority voting or QMV. As a country, it is certainly in our interest that the Union be able to function effectively after enlargement.

The essential interests of Ireland, as a smaller state, have been protected in the Treaty. Very briefly, we will continue to nominate a Commissioner until the Union reaches 27 Member States. Once there are 27 Members, there will be a rotation system for the Commission, with each State treated on an exactly equal basis, irrespective of size, population or location.

Qualified majority voting, already used for the majority of Council decisions, is being extended to new areas to facilitate decision-making in a larger Union. This means that any single Member State cannot block measures in these areas which we support. However I am sure many of you are aware that one area which will not move to QMV is the area of taxation, where our Taoiseach insisted at Nice on the retention of unanimity. We believe that taxation is a fundamental tool of national policy-making and must remain subject to domestic control within each country.

I have no hesitation in urging a Yes vote in favour of the Treaty of Nice on 7th June next. Finally I would like to take this opportunity to commend, not only the finalists but all of the participants in this excellent Shell Live Wire programme. I am sure that the benefits to their businesses will be seen for a long time.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Shell International for developing this self help programme for young entrepreneurs. On behalf of our Government, I would like to thank them once again for their community minded approach to the society we live in.