asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce the steps, if any, the Government propose to take to improve the worsening balance of trade in recent years with Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Trade with Poland and Czechoslovakia.
13.
In the case of countries with which Ireland has an adverse trade balance the general aim is to seek to improve the position by encouraging the expansion of exports. The Government, through Córas Tráchtála, have made a wide range of grants, incentives and services available to exporters and these, of course, apply to exports to Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Special measures have been taken in recent years to encourage exports to Poland and Czechoslovakia. In November, 1972, a trade mission on which 24 leading firms in the engineering, consumer goods and other fields were represented, visited Poland and Czechoslovakia. The mission met executives of State buying organisations, chambers of commerce and end-user industrial firms in both countries.
Córas Tráchtála are organising participation by Irish exporting interests in the Poznan International Industrial Products Fair in June and in the Poznan Consumer Goods Fair in the autumn. Irish firms participated in the Brno International Consumer Goods Fair in April this year and there will also be participation by Irish exporters in the Brno Engineering Products Fair in the autumn.