The study highlights the principal reasons for our success in this area: a stable macroeconomic background, a favourable business environment in its many aspects and a strong emphasis on education and skills. Looking to the future, we need to ensure that we have the appropriate policies in place to continue to be an attractive location for Foreign Direct Investment.
Economic developments Turning now to the economic situation: in the context of a weak, if improving, international environment, the Irish economy performed well, relative to other countries, in 2003. The latest official data put GNP growth at 2.8 per cent (GDP, 3.7 per cent).