Irish Exporters Association calls on Government to prepare plans to restart economy

Simon McKeever CEO of the Irish Exporters Association has called on the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to set up a Senior Minister led Cabinet Subcommittee to prepare plans to restart the economy in the aftermath of  COVID19. In a letter to the Taoiseach, the CEO commended the work of the Government to date in tackling the crisis and issuing support, but said we need to be working in parallel on the plans to restart businesses. The representative body has warned that a ‘shocked economy will need an initial kickstart as soon as it is possible, followed by sustained support for some time.’

McKeever also highlighted the need to ensure that supply chains are kept moving under the restrictive circumstances and the strain on Irish warehouse capacity, particularly for food and pharma.

Simon McKeever, Chief Executive, Irish Exporters Association commented: “The Government must immediately form a dedicated sub-committee of cabinet with the necessary resources to commence building a national plan to restart the economy. I would like to commend the work of the Government to date in how it is dealing with this unprecedented situation. The Irish Exporters Association has been actively calling on the Government for support for businesses to help alleviate the impact of COVID19. I would ask that Government consider how to progress economic activity in the aftermath of this crisis and that such considerations are streamlined into its actions now.’