Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
571. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation when the EU–Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will come before Dáil Éireann for a debate and vote; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25552/18]
View answerThe EU–Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) entered into force provisionally from the 21st September 2017. Provisional application is a standard part of EU trade agreements and allows only those parts of the agreement for which the EU has competence to be provisionally applied, pending the completion of each Member State’s procedures according to the requirements of their national law.
Irish companies may now take advantage of important provisions in the Agreement including the immediate elimination of 98% of tariffs on almost all key exports, access to the Canadian procurement market, the easing of regulatory barriers and more transparent rules for market access.
It is important to note that the provisions relating to investment protection and the Investment Court System are excluded from provisional application. This means Ireland or other Member States will not be bound by these provisions until they are ratified by all Member States in accordance with their national law.
In this regard, given the request by Belgium for an Opinion (1/17) from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the compatibility of the Investment Court System in CETA with the European Treaties, I have no immediate plans to seek the ratification of the Agreement. It would only be appropriate to do so after we have considered the Opinion of the CJEU. I understand that the CJEU has proposed to fix a hearing in this case, the expected date will be 26th June 2018. It is also important to see the benefits of CETA come into being, before it is put before the Dáil for ratification so there is a fully informed debate based on facts and evidence.
Ireland already has a strong trading relationship with Canada which is reflected in the €3.4 billion worth of annual trade between both countries. The value of Irish exports to Canada is worth €2.5 billion whilst the value of Irish imports from Canada is worth €868 million. I welcome the provisional application of CETA which will provide increased opportunities for new and existing Irish companies trading with Canada to build and develop further these relationships, providing increased growth and jobs.
With a small domestic market, further expansion in other markets is essential to our continued economic growth. Promoting diversified export markets such as Canada in light of the potential impacts of Brexit is a key priority for the Department, as reflected in our Ireland Connected Trade Strategy and Enterprise 2025 revised.
