Junior Ministers Aisling Reilly and Joanne Bunting welcomed over 230 guests to the ‘Ulster Fry for St Patrick’s Day’ breakfast networking event at the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels (ONIEB).
The event, which is held in collaboration with Invest NI, brings together representatives from the European Institutions, EU Member States and non-EU representatives as well as Ambassadors, diaspora and business representatives to celebrate Northern Ireland’s food and drink and highlight our quality produce.
Addressing guests at the event, Junior Minister Aisling Reilly said:
“This morning’s breakfast was a great way to introduce partners to the quality of our local produce while opening the door to wider conversations about the sectors driving growth and opportunity back home.”
Junior Minister Joanne Bunting said:
“I am pleased to be here in Brussels for the first time as Junior Minister and to attend the Ulster Fry event on St Patrick’s day promoting Northern Ireland and its produce. Today also provides an opportunity to strengthen our international profile, deepening our economic relationships, and creating opportunities for trade, investment and education.”
As part of their visit to the Belgian capital, the Junior Ministers took part on a site visit to see the work of Coleraine based company, TriEx. The Ministers heard about their work in building a major new data centre and how the company’s expertise is powering critical digital infrastructure across Europe.
They also took part in a number of meetings with key diplomatic figures, including Sandro Gozi MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly; Caroline Read, Deputy Ambassador at the UK Mission to the EU and Irish Permanent Representative to the EU, Ambassador Aingeal O’Donoghue.
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