asked the Minister for External Affairs what are the functions of the trade counsellor attached to the Irish Legation in the Argentine; and whether any efforts have been made to have the Argentinian import regulations which restrict imports from Ireland relaxed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trade Counsellor in Argentina.
12.
There is not, and never has been, a Trade Counsellor attached to the Irish Mission to the Argentine. The only officer of diplomatic rank at the Mission is the Minister Plenipotentiary whose responsibilities, of course, include the exploration of trade possibilities.
The Argentine Government, as is well known, have a highly restrictive import régime for other than vitally essential goods. While the Minister Plenipotentiary has received no recent indication of interest in the Argentine market on the part of Irish exporters, he has from time to time raised with the Argentine authorities the possibility of a relaxation of import restrictions. The reply has been that, as Argentina has provisionally acceded to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and operates a nondiscriminatory import régime, it is not possible to make discriminatory concessions in our favour.