Economy stable but no recovery under way yet

The economy has stabilised but has still not recovered, with further reform essential to restore competitiveness, said the National Competitiveness Council.

Launching the organisation’s annual benchmarking report Ireland’s Competitive Scorecard 2012, NCC chairman Dr Don Thornhill warned against complacency and recommended a “relentless and thorough focus on reform — including those structural reforms agreed with the troika”.

The report, prepared for the NCC by Forfás, provides an assessment of Ireland’s competitiveness performance, using data from Forfás itself, the OECD, Eurostat, the CSO, and others.