With political turmoil sweeping Europe, Enda Kenny's status as an EU elder statesmen and ally of Angela Merkel marks him out as a potentially key figure in the looming Brexit talks, according to deputy head of Europe's most important employers group.
The view is likely to be seen as unwelcome among senior Fine Gael figures vying to succeed the Mayo TD as Taoiseach at home.
But abroad, with political heavyweights including Italy's Matteo Renzi and France's Francois Holland disappearing from the scene at an unprecedented pace, Mr Kenny's longevity within the Fine Gael linked European People's Party and his status as one of the EU's longest serving heads of government may yet propel him to the forefront of next year's Brexit talks.
The deputy head of the German Chambers of Commerce Worldwide, Volker Trier, met the Taoiseach in Dublin this week, and singled him out as a stabilising factor at a time when Germany's other political allies are being swept from the scene, replaced by unpredictable emerging political movements.
"When it comes to the Irish-German relationship, your Taoiseach is like our Chancellor has the longest experience in his job and this is good when it comes to negotiations on the level of Brussels. That is very helpful," Dr Trier said.
"We need experience and we need at least, reduced emotional decisions," he said.
Political turmoil in a number of countries and what he said was the European Commission's weakness after the struggle to secure the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US, had left a leadership void in the EU just as the Brexit crisis demanded a response, he said.
Dr Trier was in Dublin for a two-day visit this week, where the German Chamber also brought 10 journalists from German newspapers.
The Chamber, whose local affiliate is the German Irish Chamber of Commerce, represents 3.6 million companies and used the visit to raise the alarm about the potential consequences of a mismanaged Brexit.
A report published this week by the Chamber shows Ireland as potentially the weakest link in the single market if Britain's exit from the EU is mishandled because of the extent of our trade ties with the UK and the status of the Border.
But, Dr Trier said the fall out from Brexit is having an impact on German industry. He said: "We have to raise awareness in German."
The German Chamber forecast at the start of 2016 that German exports to the UK would increase by up to €5bn this year, in the event, the plunge in sterling means sales are expected to be flat.
"Next year we now even expect a contraction, the loss is now billions of euro just for German exporters," he said.
As many as 800,000 German jobs are directly linked to trade with the UK, the country's third biggest export market. In relative terms it is far less than Ireland's UK exposure, but enough to concentrate minds.
This week's report on the impact of Brexit said a "hard" settlement with harsh terms for Britain could actually force Ireland towards the EU exit door, labelled an 'Irexit'.
Dr Trier said some of the same risks are being thrown up in Denmark, also a long-time exporter into the UK. Maintaining free trade should be a priority, he said.
Irish Independent
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