France retains the top spot as Ireland’s biggest trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade levels now 30 per cent higher than they were prior to Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. The growth in goods trade has lagged slightly, having risen 30 per cent against pre-Covid levels to reach €14.2 billion. This compared to €1.7 billion in agri-food and €0.9 billion in chemicals trade with France. Jean-Noel Barrot, the French minister for Europe and foreign affairs said, in the report, “France is determined to deepen this partnership both bilaterally and at the European level. “The Franco-Irish relationship rests not only on trade and investment, but also on shared ambitions and common values,” he said.
