In June 2006, negotiations between the Government and representatives of employers, trade unions, farming organisations and community/voluntary sector (the Social Partners) successfully concluded with the completion of ‘Towards 2016’, the 10-year Framework Social Partnership Agreement, 2006-2015. The overall goal of the new agreement is to achieve the NESC vision of a dynamic, internationalised and participatory Irish society and economy, founded on a commitment to social justice, and economic development that is both environmentally sustainable and internationally competitive. The overriding policy focus and priority of the Agreement is to build a strong economy and society by maintaining a supportive macroeconomic policy framework in order to enhance productivity and competitiveness. The Agreement sets out priorities across a wide range of sectoral areas including the following:
a commitment to building a knowledge economy, greater investment in human resources and in innovation, particularly around ICT application and use, are critical areas for investment to enhance Ireland’s competitiveness;
to mainstream the integration of environmental considerations into policy formulation and to provide for better environmental enforcement;
recognition that the communications sector is of fundamental importance to the economy and is an important factor in determining long-term national economic competitiveness through its impact on productivity gains, innovation, balanced regional development, new regional development, new business processes, and new services and applications;
the need for a modern competitive economy to have reliable, secure and competitively priced energy available to it. Long-term actions and decisions regarding the energy sector must also be sustainable from an environmental perspective in order to provide safeguards for future generations; and
a commitment to implement the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006-2013 which provides for the continued development of a world-class research system underpinned by the essential physical and human infrastructure.
The strategy proposes mechanisms to:
ensure that the investment in research is turned into commercial value to the greatest extent possible; and
in regard to enterprise, the strategy will set out structures and mechanisms to enhance supports to industry and encourage firms to become more engaged in R&D activity.
Note 16 www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached _files/Pdf%20files/twwoads 2016partnershipagreement.pdf
