Sir, – In a report published on the eve of a summit of the Group of 20 big economies in China, the Japanese government alerted the UK to the possible consequences of Brexit and made a number of demands. These were framed to safeguard the interests of Japanese companies currently operating in the UK.
The most interesting of these are that the UK keep EU institutions such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and that the British maintain access to the EU research and development budget and a presence in joint Japan-EU research. These are very unlikely outcomes if “Brexit means Brexit”.
In any event, the Irish Government should put together a taskforce to make the case for siting the EMA in Ireland and to begin work on persuading London-based Japanese pharmaceutical companies to relocate to Ireland.
The report specifically warns that “the appeal of London as an environment for the development of pharmaceuticals would be lost . . . this could force Japanese companies to reconsider their business activities”.
As the only English-speaking country in that future EU with an already well-established pharma industry, siting the EMA in Ireland and persuading London-based Japanese pharmaceutical companies to relocate here would be a sensible approach to mitigate some of the detrimental effects to Ireland of the decision of the UK to leave the EU. – Yours, etc,
JOHN M SIMMIE,
Furbo, Co Galway.