Mission Statement
To stimulate and facilitate the growth and development of the Irish Chamber Network and to enable the network to effectively promote the long term development of their locality on behalf of their members.

Representation
One of the key functions of CCI is to represent the views of Irish business to Government and to other decision makers. As well as regular contact with key personnel on various issues, CCI is also a social partner recognised by Government. As such, CCI took part in the negotiation and monitoring of the Partnership 2000 programme and similarly of the new Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. As a result, CCI is represented at a range of key decision making fora that influence and inform Government thinking.

As the country's largest and most local business network, CCI is also represented on a range of other bodies at national and international level. CCI also co-ordinates at a national level the local business pillars that select business nominees onto the local government and local development structures recently established - the City and County Development Boards and the City and County Strategic Policy Committees.

At present, CCI represents the interests of Irish business on the following national fora:

• Programme for Prosperity and Fairness Monitoring Processes
• National Economic & Social Council
• National Economic & Social Forum
• Public Transport Partnership Forum
• Rural Development Forum
• Information Society Connected Government and
  Benchmarking & Research Advisory Groups
• National Immigration Policy Advisory Committee
• National Co-ordinating Childcare Committee
• Consumer Advisory Council
• Task Force on Life Long Learning (Working Group on Access
  and Barriers to Learning, Working Group on Work-based Training)

The following bodies relating to the Euro:

• EMU Business Awareness Campaign
• Euro Consultative Committee (Forfas)
• Euro Changeover Board of Ireland (Dept of Finance)

The following European Fora:

• EU Economic and Social Committee
• Council of Eurochambres which represents 13 million
  enterprises across Europe

The following bodies promoting competitiveness & defending the interests of small business:

• Trade Advisory Forum
• Small Business Forum (Dept of Enterprise, Trade
  and Employment)
• Small Business User's Forum (Revenue Commissioners
  and Dept of Social, Community and Family Affairs)
  Board of "Skillnets Ltd"
• Customs Consultative Committee
• CROLink (Companies Registration Office users group), Working Group on CCTU (Dept of Justice, Equality and Law Reform)

Services
Chambers unite companies to achieve synergies that boost their competitiveness. Our proximity (and accountability) to our member companies combined with our strong and durable brand name and our commercial focus ensure we have a high degree of credibility with our membership. This in turn means they trust the services we offer. "Chambers of Commerce are in Business for Business".

The following four propositions summarise our approach to commercial services offerings to our members many of whom are small businesses:

1. Chambers offer valuable and deep networking opportunities to members. Whether on HR development, sectoral interests, or new business strategies - R&D, adoption of new technologies, chambers facilitate collaboration and sharing amongst companies on specific interests in their local area.
2. Chambers can exercise powerful collective purchasing power on behalf of their members.
   Irish SMEs do not get a good deal from service providers. CCI is determined to rebalance the relationship - negotiating best value for money in return for access to our 11,000 member firms.
3. Chambers make an important contribution to trust in commerce - and particularly ecommerce.
   For centuries the "chamber stamp" has been important in bringing confidence to trade between companies who know little about each other. As markets globalise and companies' credibility depend more and more on Trusted Third Parties the importance of chambers declarations about their members grows. This is why CCI has developed products like ChamberCert and ChamberSEAL.
4. Chambers can reach the markets most companies can not reach.
   Even in the era of global commerce personal contact is essential for firm business relationships. The international brand name chamber of commerce opens doors and provides contacts, be it over the web, through trade enquiries, business to business meetings, missions or otherwise.