Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, T.D., at the Intel 20th Anniversary Celebratory Event Leixlip, Co. Kildare, on Friday, 27 November, 2009 at 11.00am
A dhaoine uaisle agus a chairde uilig,
Tá áthas orm gur tugadh cuireadh dom chun bheith i láthair anseo inniu agus Intel ag comóradh fiche bliain ar an bhfód in Éireann. Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh le gach éinne a bhfuil baint acu le Intel a mholadh go hard agus guím gach rath orthu lena gcuid oibre amach anseo.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here today to mark this important occasion as Intel celebrates 20 years in Ireland. Thanks very much to General Manager, Jim O’Hara for the invitation and for your warm welcome.
The intervening years between 1989 and today have seen immense changes both globally and in Ireland. Intel in Leixlip has been a catalyst and driver for much of that change.
Technology has changed dramatically in the intervening years, and we have celebrated with you as each new investment in process, plant and technology has been announced. We hope to continue to celebrate this relationship between Intel and Ireland into the future.
Ireland has been profoundly affected by the global financial crisis over the past 12 months. As a small, open economy which has to earn its living by selling to world markets, we have been more affected than most.
Some of our problems are also domestic in origin – such as a steep decline in the property market and a serious deterioration in the public finances. The impact on the real economy has been severe.
The lesson from severe global recessions in the past is that as well as weathering the economic storm, countries need to restructure their economies to target the next wave of economic growth.
Finland is an example: it suffered a severe recession in the early 1990s, but emerged even stronger because it made the right choices, in particular targeting research into communications and IT.
That is why the Irish Government was one of the first countries out of the blocks to devise a blueprint for repositioning our economy—the Smart Economy framework we produced in December last.
We must think smarter, work smarter and be smarter: expanding productive-capacity; raising knowledge-intensity; and improving energy-efficiency.
Central to this is our vision of Ireland as an ‘Innovation Island’ – a country that is an attractive home for innovative multinationals as well as being an incubation environment for the best entrepreneurs at home, from Europe and further afield. But also a country where we are innovative right across the spectrum of society.
For centuries, Ireland has had a proud tradition of cultural innovation. We have long been known for our literature, our theatre, our art. But now we are also known for our innovation in science, technology and business.
We must harness the best asset Ireland has to offer – the talent and ingenuity of our people.
Intel Ireland has always been seen as a flagship campus for the whole of the technology sector in Ireland. You have continually remained one of the largest single, private employers in the state and the largest single overseas investor with in excess of $7bn currently invested in Leixlip.
Your corporate success and our national industrial development have gone hand in hand.
Cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing is now supported by a deepening participation in sophisticated R&D networks in tandem with Science Foundation Ireland and the Higher Education sector—including the recent Intel Value Institute in collaboration with National University of Ireland at Maynooth.
It is a long way from the printed circuit boards and generic personal computer products which were manufactured in the original campus building in Palmerstown.
It is appropriate also to acknowledge that Intel has truly become part of the local fabric in Leixlip, including an exemplary record in supporting local social and environmental initiatives.
Your support for the regeneration of the salmon spawning beds on the River Rye makes Dublin one of two capital cities in Europe with naturally migrating wild salmon breeding there. And there have been several award winning Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives led by the Irish management team — including the technology investments in both Leixlip Library and Ryevale Nursing Home.
With the Leixlip facility representing your largest investment in the European Union, I know that the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December will be warmly welcomed by all here today.
The strong endorsement of the Treaty in the October referendum was achieved thanks to the efforts of many across the political, business and civil society communities. I would like to thank Intel for its strong support, and to acknowledge in particular the leadership role played by Jim O’Hara.
With Lisbon entering into force next week, Europe can now concentrate more on policy priorities, such as climate change and energy supply, and ensuring recovery of the European economy. The new European Commission will have a vital part to play in Europe's response to these challenges and, as you know, agreement on one Commissioner per Member State was a crucial factor in Ireland's ratification of the Treaty.
In a speech earlier this month in which he set out his priorities for the new Commission, President Barroso stressed that “in order take us towards a more competitive, more sustainable and fairer economy…a top priority would be new sources of growth based on the famous knowledge triangle of research, education and innovation.”
In putting forward Maire Geoghegan Quinn as Ireland's nominee for the new Commission, I wanted a candidate of very strong credentials and experience, not least because I felt that this would help us to get a substantial portfolio in the new Commission. I am delighted to announce today that we have secured the hugely important Research and Innovation portfolio, which resonates very strongly with our own Smart Economy agenda which I spoke about a few moments ago.
I believe it is testament to the calibre of Maire Geoghegan Quinn that she has been allocated this portfolio. I also believe that it is very fitting that I can announce this here today, as we celebrate 20 years presence in Ireland for a company whose name - Intel - is a byword for research and innovation.
In closing, I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone participating in today’s celebratory event. It is a source of particular satisfaction to acknowledge this significant milestone on behalf of the Irish Government, and to look forward with confidence to the further successes which undoubtedly lie ahead.
Comhgairdeas agus go raibh míle maith agaibh.
ENDS