Ireland’s Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris touched down in Paris on 10 March for an intensive, two-day programme aimed at deepening Franco-Irish trade, investment and tourism links ahead of the global St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The visit signals a deliberate pivot by Dublin towards continental partners as the post-Brexit Franco-Irish sea route and direct air links continue to expand. Mr Harris’ schedule pairs high-level political meetings—including bilateral talks with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure—with targeted commercial events. He will meet Servier, the French pharmaceutical giant that employs more than 750 people in Arklow and Dublin, and showcase Irish design supplier Castlebrook at a hospitality buyers’ showcase in central Paris. Enterprise Ireland and IDA-Ireland executives have arranged more than 40 one-to-one meetings between Irish exporters and French buyers during the mission. Tourism is front-and-centre as well. The Tánaiste will launch Tourism Ireland’s annual “Ireland Week” in France and address NetworkIrlande, the Franco-Irish Chamber of Commerce, underscoring Ireland’s objective of restoring French visitor numbers to 2019 levels—and growing them by a further 20 per cent by 2030. Paris is now one of Dublin Airport’s busiest short-haul routes, while Brittany Ferries reports a 32 per cent jump in passenger traffic since 2023 on its Rosslare–Cherbourg sailings, evidence of the widening travel corridor.
![Tánaiste leads St Patrick’s Day trade mission to Paris]()
Whether you’re an Irish entrepreneur courting French clients or a tourist planning a multi-leg journey that stretches beyond the EU, VisaHQ can simplify the red-tape. Its Irish portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets travellers and businesses arrange visas, passport renewals and work permits for destinations worldwide through a single, intuitive dashboard, with real-time support that keeps itineraries on track.
For Irish multinationals, the trip offers practical dividends. Life-sciences and technology firms with French operations will gain additional embassy support for work-permit processing, while French corporates investing in Ireland can expect accelerated access to the Trusted Partner immigration channel. Irish SMEs seeking to bid for French public-sector contracts were briefed on using the EU’s new e-Procurement platform to fast-track qualification recognition. Business-traveller takeaway: expect smoother intra-EU mobility for seconded staff, more seat capacity on the busy Dublin-Paris axis this summer, and fresh opportunities for managers posted to France under the EU Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) permit.
Whether you’re an Irish entrepreneur courting French clients or a tourist planning a multi-leg journey that stretches beyond the EU, VisaHQ can simplify the red-tape. Its Irish portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) lets travellers and businesses arrange visas, passport renewals and work permits for destinations worldwide through a single, intuitive dashboard, with real-time support that keeps itineraries on track.
For Irish multinationals, the trip offers practical dividends. Life-sciences and technology firms with French operations will gain additional embassy support for work-permit processing, while French corporates investing in Ireland can expect accelerated access to the Trusted Partner immigration channel. Irish SMEs seeking to bid for French public-sector contracts were briefed on using the EU’s new e-Procurement platform to fast-track qualification recognition. Business-traveller takeaway: expect smoother intra-EU mobility for seconded staff, more seat capacity on the busy Dublin-Paris axis this summer, and fresh opportunities for managers posted to France under the EU Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) permit.
