Many an organisation making use of a process agent in the UK would have had reason to take an interest in President of the United States, Joe Biden’s recent tour of Ireland – particularly the prospect he raised of economic benefits for Northern Ireland if power-sharing is restored.
Mr Biden’s visit to both Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the landmark peace deal that helped bring an end of most of the violence of the Troubles.
What did Mr Biden say about prospects for trade?
In a speech to an audience in Belfast which included representatives of Northern Ireland’s five biggest parties, Mr Biden expressed hope that the region’s power-sharing government – a key element of the 1998 agreement – would be restored.
The devolved Northern Ireland Assembly has not met for over a year, due to a dispute about trading arrangements following the UK’s departure from the European Union.
However, the US president – who is fiercely proud of his own Irish ancestry – suggested that the region could see an economic windfall in the event of a return to stable devolved government.
In his keynote address at Ulster University, Mr Biden paid tribute to work done by the UK and the EU to agree the Windsor Framework addressing rules around the movement of goods post-Brexit.
He said that the last 25 years had seen a doubling in Northern Ireland’s gross domestic product (GDP), and that “just in the last decade”, nearly $2 billion in investment from the United States had gone into the region’s economy.
He added: “I predict to you if things continue to move in the right direction, [it] will more than triple. There are scores of major American corporations wanting to come here, wanting to invest.”
Referring to the cyber and tech sectors, green energy and young entrepreneurs, the president said that Northern Ireland had “incredible” opportunities to lift itself into becoming a major part of the economy of the UK.
He said that Joe Kennedy III, his special economic envoy for Northern Ireland, would be heading a trade delegation to the region “maybe later this year” to “supercharge” a new investment wave.
Expressing hope that “the assembly and the executive will soon be restored,” the president added: “That is a judgement for you to make, not me, but I hope it happens.”
Could heightened investment mean a greater need for process agency services?
Here at London Registrars, we are more than familiar with the challenges of working across borders; we have long provided the benefit of a process agent in the UK to a range of overseas businesses dealing with suppliers or tenders in the UK, or that are attempting to secure a loan from a City institution.
The right process agent in the UK can provide crucial certainty to both parties in a transaction, with the ability to accept service of notices, proceedings, or documents on behalf of overseas clients in situations where serving them abroad isn’t an option.
Whether you are an overseas business looking to do business in Northern Ireland, or you have a different set of circumstances and needs, you can learn more about our comprehensive and cost-effective process agency service by reaching out to us via phone or email today.