Speaking after Tánaiste and Minister for Business Frances Fitzgerald announced an agreement with European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager to establish the working group, Sarah Freeman, Director of Policy and Communications of Chambers Ireland commented:

“The announcement today that a working group on business supports to deal with challenges of Brexit for business will be established is very welcome. It will bolster Ireland’s response to Brexit and help businesses explore new markets while strengthening their links to existing ones. Our SMEs are particularly vulnerable to changes as a result of the UK leaving the EU and additional supports to help assess and plan for these unique challenges will be very helpful.

“Through this working group, Irish officials from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation will liaise with Commission officials on an ongoing basis and will be in a position to advise businesses about any potential future supports. The recently released results of the European Economic Survey 2018 revealed that Brexit is the number one concern of Irish businesses for the year ahead. It is crucial that the right supports are in place so that businesses can respond to the unknown challenges and get the right help in response to their particular needs.”