Launch of the Report of the High Level Action Group on Green Enterprise

The Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, T.D., the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms. Mary Coughlan, T.D., and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Eamon Ryan, T.D., today (Wednesday, 2 December 2009), together with Mr. Joe Harford, Chairperson, launched the Report of the High Level Action Group on Green Enterprise.

The Group, which was established in May in line with a commitment in the Framework for Economic Renewal, Building Ireland’s Smart Economy, was tasked with identifying the series of actions required to enable Ireland realise the potential of developing an innovation-based green enterprise sector as part of its enterprise portfolio. The Group’s membership comprised people from the private sector and key senior officials from the relevant Government departments and agencies.

Launching the Group’s report, the Taoiseach said: “We are committed to the development of a vibrant green enterprise sector, which has the potential to create 80,000 jobs as part of our strategy for Ireland’s economic renewal. This Report sets out a blue print for the Government to follow in achieving that aim and I want to thank Joe Harford and the members of the Group for their time and significant work. Supporting the growth of the green enterprise sector will bring new opportunities for Irish business, create jobs and attract investment to our economy, ultimately contributing to economic recovery and growth”.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment said, “Maximising the potential for Irish business and for job creation of the growing worldwide interest in ‘green’ solutions to today’s problems and challenges, is our key focus in adding this sector to our enterprise portfolio. Ireland has a track record of building on our skills and talent to focus on key sectors. We have had significant success in sectors such as food, ICT, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology to date. The adoption and targeting of the environmental goods and services sector now allows us to capitalise and build on our existing skills base to capture for Ireland part of the global growth in this sector”.

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources said. “The green economy represents the single best bet for Ireland to lift itself out of recession. We have the resources, the political will and the plan. We are already implementing; with over €30 billion in investments from our semi-state sector, with private industry on board and with thousands of jobs already created. The 80,000 jobs this report identifies, the investment and the new economics will be implemented

The Report identifies potential to create up to 80,000 jobs in future years. It contains many practical proposals and the Government have agreed to oversee priority implementation of those recommendations that can deliver jobs and investment opportunities.

The latest estimates put the size of the global environmental goods and services market as exceeding 700 billion dollars by 2010. The value of this sector for Ireland is growing and estimated to be more than 2.8 billion euro in 2008.

Chairperson of the Group, Mr. Joe Harford, believes there are significant opportunities for Ireland if it acts quickly. He said, “I see a need for Ireland to be able to respond quickly and flexibly to capture new opportunities. Implementation of this Report is essential in order to maximise the potential for Ireland in the green enterprise sector. We need to gain a significant foothold and a competitive advantage in the short term as competition for investment and ideas in this sector is growing across the globe”.

There are a number of clear areas of action and opportunity identified in the Report, including:

• Green procurement;
• Renewable energy and providing energy efficiency;
• Green enterprise zones;
• World Class green R&D;
• Waste management; and
• Water and waste water treatment.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment thanked Joe Harford and the members of the High Level Action Group for their work in producing the Report.

Concluding, she said, “We must take a whole of Government approach to ensure we embrace this growth area and deliver on its potential. I will be leading on the implementation of the recommendations in the Report, ensuring that there is the necessary delivery across the whole of Government, including all relevant State Agencies. Work on an implementation plan is already underway and on-going progress will be reported to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Renewal, which is chaired by the Taoiseach”.

Green Enterprise Report – Developing the Green Economy in Ireland, Full Report, 1.04MB PDF

Green Enterprise Report – Developing the Green Economy in Ireland – Key Actions, 523KB PDF