Senior executives in Ireland believe a British exit from the European Union would have a negative impact on the Irish economy, according to a survey.
In a survey of 350 senior executives by Amárach Research, on behalf of Merc Partners, 83% predicted negative consequences for Ireland in the event of a British exit.
More than a third – 36% - said they believed this was likely to happen over the next five years.
EU membership has become a central issue in the upcoming general election in Britain, with prime minister David Cameron promising a referendum on the issue in 2017 if his party is re-elected.
Half of Irish executives believe SMEs here would suffer most if Britain voted to leave at that point, with 20% seeing the agriculture sector taking the biggest hit.
However many predict a British exit could also have a silver lining for Irish business, with two-thirds predicting that Ireland would become more attractive to multinational investors if such an event came to pass.
The opinions on Britain’s relationship with the EU were part of a wider Executive Expectation Survey carried out by Merc Parnters, which measures sentiment amongst senior businesspeople in Ireland.
The vast majority of respondents – 93% - said they were more positive about the prospects for the Irish economy than before, while two-thirds said morale in their organisation had improved in the past year.
Almost 90% said they had seen an improvement in career opportunities in Ireland in the past 12 months, while more than half said they had employed additional staff in the last year.
