Former taoiseach Enda Kenny extolled virtues of product delivery path to Germany that bypasses UK. He travelled to Berlin last month as part of an effort to convince German politicians of the merits of a post-Brexit sea route between Ireland and Germany.
Such a sea route could help circumnavigate emerging customs issues following a hard Brexit if any issues were to emerge with the UK landbridge, according to those involved in the discussions.
While the long distance and travel time would likely make such a route impractical for agricultural produce such as dairy, it could form a key part of accessing European and wider markets for pharmaceutical products.
While in Berlin, Mr Kenny met several members of the Bundestag economy and energy committee, including Joachim Pfeiffer, a close ally of Angela Merkel ally who acts as the economic and energy policy spokesman for her Christian Democratic Union party.
The meetings, which took place at the end of January, were arranged by the German-Irish chamber of industry and commerce. Mr Kenny is a member of the chamber’s Kuratorium, or board of trustees, a role for which he receives no payment.
Please read the full article by Jack Horgan-Jones, The Irish Times, 23/02/2019