As French ambassador to Ireland, I am delighted that Cork is our twin county during EU presidency

I am looking forward to spending a lot of time in Cork this year, a county that has many cultural and business ties with France, writes Céline Place

The French ambassador Celine Place with members of Waterford Chamber of Commerce. Picture: The Embassy of France on Linkedin

This week, I am spending time in Cork for the latest edition of what we in the French Embassy call our 'French Days': an extended visit by 'Team France' — including colleagues who work on policy, culture, economy, the France-Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Business France — to showcase locally the potential of Franco-Irish cooperation in several domains, such as research, innovation and infrastructure.

My current visit to Cork is particularly timely. Earlier this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade decided to twin each Irish county with a member-state of the European Union for the duration of Ireland’s presidency of the European Council, and we were delighted to find out France had been paired with Cork.