THE Isle of Man Government's newly appointed director of European affairs and Brussels representative will start his role next Monday.
Mr Bourke will be based in Brussels but will visit the Isle of Man regularly to consult with his colleagues here.
His role is to lobby on behalf of the government, strengthen relations with key decision makers, promote the Island's economic and cultural interests and gather intelligence on relevant issues.
Mr Bourke said the Isle of Man office in Brussels is in a 'brilliant location' in the heart of the EU quarter directly opposite the main commission building.
He told a press conference of the importance for the Isle of Man to engage with the EU.
He said: "You have got an increasingly internationalised economy and the fact of that means you need to engage increasingly globally and with key players like the EU who, whilst you are not members of it, still has a pretty heavy impact on some of your activities.
"The key is perhaps not to challenge the framework but make it work to your best advantage and focus on what needs to be done not just today and tomorrow but in a time frame of three or five years.
"There is any number of things coming out of Brussels that could potentially have an impact. I know you have got a highly diversified economy. As you know the EU is famous for putting its finger into all sorts of pies. So having somebody on the ground to interpret, translate and guide on the strategic handling of particular issues will be a distinct advantage."
However, he dispelled the myth about Europe being made up of "faceless bureaucrats".
"The truth of the matter is it is not like that at all. If you have been working with Europe over a certain period of time you get to understand some basic truths about the place, which is on any given issue there is a surprisingly small number of people who are potentially engaged in it."
He added: "What it is not possible to do is simply say 'we want X,Y, Z' and expect it happen because it (the Isle of Man) is a small place, it is 80,000 people so you have to work with partners, chiefly with the United Kingdom, to achieve results in Brussels."
Finance centres such as the Isle of Man are sometimes perceived negatively by other jurisdictions but having a dedicated presence in Brussels could help to change this.
Mr Bourke said: "The job of the office is not chiefly about PR. Inevitably if we engage with the institution sensibly and act credibly and do what we say we are going to do that will change over time. The more we engage with people the more those myths will be dispelled."
Mr Bourke was recruited from the UK Ministry of Justice in London where he led the department's European, Crown Dependencies and Devolution team.
As part of his responsibilities he was the principal conduit for the Crown Dependencies' relationship with the UK Government.
He has plenty of EU experience - he led the Ministry's European team for five years, negotiating EU legislation across the justice area.
He has also previously worked as a solicitor and in public affairs in Brussels and spent some in in UKRep, the UK's permanent representation to the EU, on trade disputes and transatlantic relations.
