Firms must be on their toes to survive

IRISH companies have to become highly innovative if they are to survive the EU Services Directive coming down the tracks, warned Eoin O’Driscoll, chairman of Forfás and author of the Enterprise Strategy Group Report Ahead of the Curve.

“The introduction of the EU Services Directive will be as significant to competition in services as lifting tariffs was on goods,” he said.

Mr O’Driscoll said it no longer matters what line of business a company happens to be in.