Is access an issue affecting Irish competitiveness?

Abstract

Being an island, off an island, off the ‘mainland’ of the European market would appear to present Ireland with significant disadvantages in relation to competitiveness. Indeed, in 1996, as part of the process of developing a long term strategy for enterprise in Ireland, Forfas prepared a report called ‘World Class to Serve the World’ which identified the key issues affecting Ireland’s future role as part of a global economy. Access or, in other words, getting products in and out of Ireland was identified as a critical issue. Various recommendations, including the establishment of the National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL) as a centre of excellence for transport and logistics to support companies operating in Ireland, were put forward to address this issue. This paper examines the changing role of transport in determining economic competitiveness and whether it is an issue for Ireland both now and in the future.