This report has been prepared by a Taskforce organised by
the Irish Academy of Engineering and Engineers Ireland
representing the engineering profession on the island of
Ireland. It has been commissioned by InterTradeIreland.
The purpose of the report is to identify and make
recommendations on the long-term infrastructure which
will be required in order to achieve world-class
competitiveness for the island. Adopting a long-term
perspective ensures that economic choices are made and
avoids the risk of revisiting incremental decisions based on
short-term pressures.
The world economy is going through a period of
unprecedented change and adaptation. The rapid growth
in the economic power of China and India, the threats
posed by climate change and to energy supplies, the global
banking crisis and the enlargement of the European Union
all present new challenges.
Estimates of the population of the island which were prepared
by the Official Statistics Agencies, North and South, before
the onset of the current recession indicated that, based on
certain assumptions (used by the CSO), the population of the
island could reach eight million by around 2030.
The recession seems likely to postpone the achievement of
the eight million estimate by a number of years. It is still
important, nonetheless, to identify and put in place in an
integrated manner the infrastructure required for an
economy with an increased population of eight million
given the long-term nature of this activity.
In economic terms, the gross national income per capita of
the island economy ranks in the top 13 in the world. An
economic growth rate from 2012 in excess of 3% per
annum will be necessary to sustain the population increase
assumed as the basis for this report.
The pressures of the global economy emphasise the
importance of achieving substantial improvement in the
infrastructure of the island, which will support an
enhancement in economic competitiveness and quality of
life for this population.
