Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris travels to Paris for St. Patrick’s Day engagements
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- An t-eolas is déanaí:
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris will travel to Paris today (10 March) to undertake a St. Patrick’s Day programme of political and business engagements on behalf of the Government of Ireland.
The theme for St. Patrick’s Day 2026 highlights Ireland’s place in the world as an open trading economy. In line with this, the Tánaiste’s visit will strongly focus on trade promotion and economic engagement with one of Ireland’s most important economic partners in the EU.
During the Tánaiste’s visit, he will participate in bilateral meetings with the Secretary General of the OECD, Mathias Cormann, and the Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty of France, Roland Lescure.
Engagement with State Agency client companies will form a key part of the Tánaiste’s programme. He will meet with IDA Ireland client, Servier, an independent international pharmaceutical group governed by a foundation, with a long-standing presence in Ireland. The Tánaiste will also visit a design showcase by Enterprise Ireland client Castlebrook, a furniture, fixtures and equipment solutions company that is active in the French hospitality market. In addition, the Tánaiste will launch Tourism Ireland’s annual Ireland Week programme in France.
In recognition of the ever-closer economic relationship between Ireland and France, the Tánaiste will meet with members of the Paris-based Franco-Irish Chamber of Commerce, NetworkIrlande. He will also visit the world's largest start-up and innovation facility, Station F, to hear about France’s tech start-up infrastructure and community.
Speaking ahead of the visit, the Tánaiste said:
“I am delighted to be visiting Paris to mark St. Patrick’s Day this year. This trip is a chance to deepen the relationship with one of our closest EU neighbours. The Franco-Irish relationship has gone from strength to strength in recent years, culminating in the launch of the France-Ireland 2026-2030 Joint Strategic Framework earlier this year.
“In the current geopolitical context, deepening our relationships with our valued European partners is more important than ever. My engagement with the OECD as part of the programme underlines Ireland’s continued commitment to multilateralism.
“I am particularly looking forward to meeting with key actors in the Franco-Irish economic relationship and hearing about the flourishing business and economic links between our two countries and how the Government of Ireland can continue to support their continued development.”
ENDS