Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 July 2016
53. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if she is satisfied that the precautionary principle, which the EU currently applies as part of its obligations under the Lisbon treaty, will be preserved under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22537/16]
View answerThe proposed EU-US free trade agreement is one of a number of new style trade agreements the EU is negotiating that not only covers tariffs, services and investment but also includes regulatory coherence and cooperation. An agreement would be the world’s largest bilateral trade and investment deal, and a successful conclusion is expected to benefit Ireland more than any other EU Member State. Ireland’s enterprises are particularly well placed to take up opportunities to trade more easily with the US. Studies have shown that the benefits to Ireland will be proportionally greater than in the EU as a whole. Ireland strongly supports these negotiations and is working to ensure that our interests are fully reflected in the texts of the negotiations.
Regulatory cooperation is about cutting the costs for EU and US companies of complying with each other's rules and regulations, for example where there is unnecessary duplication. For example in the case of the EU Canada Agreement both sides have agreed to recognise each other’s conformity assessment certificates for electrical goods, electronic and radio equipment, toys and machinery. This will not lead to any lowering of standards or deregulation on either side of the Atlantic. The Commission has made it clear that basic laws and principles of the EU, including the precautionary principle enshrined in Article 191 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), will not be affected by the negotiations. As you may be aware, the precautionary principle is a risk management measure whereby if there is the possibility that a policy or action might cause harm to the public or the environment, the policy or action in question should not be pursued. Neither the interpretation nor the application of the precautionary principle will be put in question by this or any other trade negotiation.
The Deputy will be aware that the different negotiating positions can be viewed in the Reading Room in my Department.
