Voting Yes to Lisbon was “hugely important” for the future of foreign investment in this country, the head of a major multinational's Irish operation said today.
General manager of Intel Ireland Jim O’Hara said he would be getting personally involved in promoting a Yes vote and that his company would be spending “a few hundred thousand euro” on its campaign.
The Intel campaign would be conducted through “media interviews, adverts in newspapers, and posters and whatever other media outlets that are appropriate”, Mr O'Hara told a press conference at the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin.
He said he had the support of the wider Intel Corporation in his efforts.
He personally was responsible for the high-technology company’s involvement in the referendum: “I initiated that, I went to Intel and I told them that I thought it was hugely important that we speak up on this matter."
Mr O’Hara said he wanted to keep the focus on business: “I don’t intend or want to get involved in the wider political issues with respect to the referendum.”
He regretted not having participated in the last referendum, when Lisbon was defeated: “Quite frankly I and many others probably had the lazy thought that the Yes vote would carry. And it didn’t: I was surprised.
“On reflection, I think it’s such a huge issue for this country and because it’s such a huge issue it’s very important that business people like me speak out and get the message across to people, for their simple consideration.
“And the message is that, being centre-stage as part of Europe has benefited this country hugely in the past and will continue to benefit us in the future. It’s good for business, it’s good for growth, it’s good for prosperity.”
He said the reasons why Intel and other multinationals came to Ireland included, “low corporate tax-rate, well-educated workforce, competitive cost-structures and the fact that Ireland was a part of the EU, it was a gateway into the EU. So most multinationals made those choices in the full belief that an investment in Ireland was an investment in Europe.”
Mr O’Hara, who hails from Cabra West in Dublin said: “This is our 20th anniversary in Ireland and I’m delighted to say we hope to be here for at least another 20 years. Our cumulative investment in Ireland has been in excess of $7billion.”
The Intel Ireland workforce was “a little over 4,000”.
