- Irish businesses confident about outlook as they move to curb supply-chain risks, according to annual survey commissioned by EIB.
- Investments by Ireland-based firms return to pre-pandemic levels.
- Companies in Ireland rely more than other EU firms on internal financing.
Companies in Ireland are optimistic about the business outlook after they moved to limit supply-chain risks and investments in the country returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group survey. Still, almost nine in 10 Irish exporters say regulatory fragmentation in the European Union is a burden, new country results from the EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) show.
EIBIS is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 companies across all EU Member States plus a sample from the United States. Its main results released in October 2024, indicating that businesses in the EU are adapting to trade shocks by investing in more resilient and secure supply chains.
The detailed reports for individual EU countries were published today Key takeaways for Ireland include:
- Trade barriers are a top challenge for Irish companies, prompting them to stockpile inventory, invest in digital tracking and diversify suppliers.
- Regarding business in the EU, 86% of Irish exporters report a need to comply with varying national consumer-protection standards.
- More than a third of Irish firms – 39% – rely primarily on internal financing compared with an EU average of 29%.
"Ireland’s investment stability in the last years, highlights the strength and adaptability of its businesses," said Debora Revoltella, Chief Economist of the EIB Group.", Irish companies have been proactively strengthening their supply chains and ensuring their long-term competitiveness. In the current geopolitical context, resilience will be further tested. As the EU bank, the EIB will continue to support investments that enhance resilience, sustainability, and innovation."
The full country report about Ireland is available here.
Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.
The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe's policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
In 2024, the EIB Group reached a funding volume of €727 million in Ireland, focusing on key sectors such as industry, health and finance.