Government holds third annual Competitiveness Summit

Government holds third annual Competitiveness Summit

• From: Department of the Taoiseach

• Published on: 13 July 2026
• Last updated on: 13 July 2026

Taoiseach Micheál Martin today (Monday, 13 July) chaired the third annual Competitiveness Summit in Intel HQ in Leixlip, as part of preparations for Budget 2027.

The summit was attended by Tánaiste and Minster for Finance Simon Harris; Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports Sean Canney; Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Jack Chambers; Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke; and other Ministers, as well as the Chief Executives of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

The summit was addressed by Dr. Naga Chandrasekaran, Executive Vice President for Technology Development and Manufacturing at Intel who set out the competitiveness challenges facing countries like Ireland that are trying to win major new foreign direct investment.

The summit was also addressed by Chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, Professor Alan Barrett. Professor Barrett noted that this year's Ireland's Competitiveness Challenge report focuses on strengthening Ireland's capacity to withstand future economic shocks while sustaining improvements in productivity and competitiveness, and boosting Ireland's economic resilience.

To achieve this, the report identifies several key priorities, including:

• Enhancing economic and energy resilience;
• Progressing regulatory reform and simplification;
• Reducing business costs; and,
• Equipping the labour market to respond effectively to the opportunities and challenges arising from AI-driven transformation.

Commenting on the Competitiveness Summit, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:

"Today's Competitiveness Summit provided an important opportunity to engage with stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities facing Ireland's economy.

"At a time of growing global uncertainty, strengthening our economic resilience, investing in critical infrastructure and maintaining a competitive business environment must remain central to our approach.

"By focusing on the factors within our control, we can ensure Ireland continues to attract investment, create jobs and deliver sustainable economic growth."

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris said:

"Ireland remains one of the most competitive economies in Europe, but success can never be taken for granted.

"As the global economy becomes more uncertain and complex, we must focus on the factors that we can control, such as maintaining strong public finances, investing in critical infrastructure and creating the conditions for businesses to innovate, grow and compete.

"Ireland's success has been built on openness, enterprise and a highly skilled workforce. The Summit provides an important opportunity to discuss how we can build on these strengths, address long-standing structural challenges and ensure Ireland remains competitive, resilient and prosperous in the years ahead."

Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports Sean Canney said:

"Against the current international background, today's summit was a timely chance to discuss the challenges we face and what can be done to make Ireland's economy more competitive for our SMEs and the multinational companies that call Ireland home.

"I welcome the progress made to date in implementing the Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, enabling Government to create and support the right environment for businesses to grow, thrive and deliver high quality jobs across Ireland".

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation Jack Chambers said:

"Today's Competitiveness Summit highlighted both the strengths of the Irish economy and the challenges we must address to maintain our competitive position in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

"Ireland continues to perform strongly internationally, but we cannot be complacent. Sustained and targeted investment in infrastructure, energy, skills and innovation will be essential to support future growth and economic resilience.

"Through the revised National Development Plan, Government is making record investments in housing, water, energy and transport infrastructure to ensure that capacity constraints do not become a barrier to growth.

"Regulatory reform is a key part of Ireland's competitiveness agenda. By simplifying processes, reducing delays and improving certainty for businesses and investors, we can ensure that public and private investment translates more quickly into jobs, infrastructure and economic growth.

"By combining investment, reform and sound public finances, we can ensure Ireland remains well positioned to meet future challenges and seize new opportunities. Our focus is on creating the conditions to ensure Ireland remains one of the most competitive, innovative and attractive locations in the world in which to live, work and do business."

Minister for Enterprise Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said:

"Today's Summit underlined the importance of maintaining a relentless focus on competitiveness as Ireland navigates a period of significant global uncertainty. Supporting enterprise growth, reducing the cost of doing business, simplifying regulation and accelerating the adoption of new technologies will be key priorities in the months ahead.

"By creating the right conditions for businesses to start, scale and innovate, we can strengthen productivity, resilience and sustainable job creation across the economy. We must also be relentless in our efforts to progress the EU competitiveness agenda, which will remain a key area of focus throughout the Irish Presidency."

The summit was also updated on the implementation of the Government's Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity which was published last September, with significant progress being made across the 85 actions included in the Plan.

Arising from the summit, it was agreed that:

• The Competitiveness Challenge 2026 Report will be published later this week;
• The recommendations of the NCPC, and other competitiveness issues discussed at the Summit will be an important input to the finalisation of Budget 2027;
• Competitiveness will continue to be a core theme of Ireland's EU Presidency, through advancing measures that strengthen the Single Market, support innovation and investment, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, and enhance Europe's economic resilience and productivity;
• The final report from the Cost of Business Advisory Forum will be brought to Government and published on 22 July 2026;
• A new Red Tape Challenge will be initiated by the Taoiseach and Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment later this month across all Departments and agencies;
• This is part of a wider Programme of Regulatory Reform, including the work of the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce and new Business Advisory Hub; and,
• Responding to concerns about energy costs and resilience, the report of the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) will be finalised later this month.