Eddie O'Gorman BBC NI business reporter

The employers' organisation the CBI has issued a business manifesto setting out what it says is a blueprint to ensure that Northern Ireland becomes a better place to do business.

Among its six key priorities are strong political leadership, a positive image, reform of the public services, and a more competitive infrastructure.

Six key areas

Strong political leadership Promoting a positive image Reforming public services Building a competitive infrastructure Skills and employability Enterprise, innovation, and creativity

By a quirk of timing, the manifesto has appeared in the same week as the announcement of the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

But CBI Northern Ireland chairman Ian McMorris said that did not invalidate what the document had to say.

"The agenda that we are outlining is as relevant to the direct rule ministers as it is to our own ministers," he said.

"But we are hoping that the assembly will soon be back in operation, and that is why it is so important for us to get this document into the various party manifestos for the next election."

Conference rounds

In an attempt to achieve that, senior CBI members will be attending all the major party conferences, starting on Saturday with the Ulster Unionists in Londonderry.

Ian Pearson is taking over the economy brief

The CBI said the points made in its document would become more relevant with the likely expansion of the EU to include countries from eastern Europe.

The chairman of the manifesto working group, Bob Magee, who is also the managing director of Bass Ireland, said Northern Ireland would no longer be able to claim the advantage of being a low-cost economy.

"We can no longer attract companies to Northern Ireland on that basis," Mr Magee said.

"They're increasingly going to go elsewhere. So a lot of what we're suggesting is designed to improve the skills of our people, improve the education system, and ensure that we create a climate which encourages the kind of higher value added businesses Northern Ireland needs for the future."

'Hard decisions'

Mr Magee said the CBI would now be aiming to form a productive relationship with the new Economy Minister, Ian Pearson.

However, he said that he would prefer the hard decisions that needed to be taken were still the responsibility of local politicians.

"The CBI has always supported devolved government," he said.

"And while one could argue that the last four years have been somewhat slower than we in the business community would have liked, nevertheless, I think that a lot of useful groundwork has been done."

He said the important thing was that decisions affecting the economy should not merely be deferred indefinitely.

In an increasingly globalised economy, he said, waiting for something to happen was not an option.