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International Agreements.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2005

Tuesday, 21 June 2005

Ceisteanna (342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349)

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

363 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will actively seek that the EU work with the 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, either to achieve at the WTO an extension of the Cotonou Waiver preferences or to change Article 24 of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs in order that Europe can continue to give preferential access to poor countries; and his views on whether this approach is not preferable to pushing ahead with reciprocal free trade areas with Africa and other poor countries through the proposed economic partnership agreements. [20970/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

364 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment which the Government has undertaken of the impact upon industrial and agricultural producers in Ireland’s priority aid countries of the entry into force of EPA free trade areas, which the EU proposes will include full liberalisation of 90% of trade with the poorest countries. [20971/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

365 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the concerns his Department has raised with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in regard to the opening up of priority country markets to EU competition; and the areas of their markets which his Department has suggested be excluded from liberalisation. [20972/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

366 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the communications, meetings and other representations his Department has had with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in regard to the EU requests for opening of markets under the proposed EPAs; and if he will make documents from these meetings available to Dáil Éireann. [20973/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

367 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the representation his Department has had at the EU 133 committee meetings considering liberalisation of trade with Ireland’s priority countries under EPAs. [20974/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

368 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the consultations his Department has had with priority country governments, business, community and civil society regarding their defensive interests in the EPA trade negotiations; the areas of concern which were highlighted through these consultations; and the steps which have been taken by his Department to ensure these interests are catered for in the EU position on EPAs. [20975/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

369 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his Department has made an assessment of the industries, in each of Ireland’s priority countries, which will most come under pressure through the liberalisation envisaged in EPAs; if he will identify those industries; the number of persons they employ; the capacity they have to adust to competition from European exports inside the transition period; and the level of unemployment in Ireland’s priority aid countries he expects will result from such liberalisation. [20976/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

370 Mr. P. McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the industries in Mozambique which can sustain full opening up to competition from South Africa; and the way in which this can be envisaged as a poverty reduction strategy consistent with the objectives of the Cotonou Agreement. [20977/05]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 363 to 370, inclusive, together.

The economic partnership agreements, EPAs, which are to enter into force by 1 January 2008, are an integral element of the legally binding Cotonou Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, states and the European Union.

The EPAs are intended first and foremost as instruments for development to foster the smooth and gradual integration of ACP states into the world economy, with due regard for their own political choices and their own development priorities, thereby promoting their sustainable development and contributing to poverty eradication. They combine trade and wider development issues in a unified framework, while taking account of the specific economic, social and environmental circumstances of each regional group and its component states.

For instance, recent discussions between the European Commission and the Southern African Development Community, SADC, which has many of the features of a customs union, focussed on how the least developed SADC member countries would be affected by further trade integration under the EPAs. This overall approach addresses the particular concern of Ireland and other member states that development and poverty reduction should be the principal objectives of the EPAs.

As far as the impacts of liberalisation of trade are concerned, I draw the Deputy's attention to article 37(7) of the Cotonou Agreement which states that the negotiations on the EPAs:

shall take account of the level of development and the socio-economic impact of trade measures on ACP countries, and their capacity to adapt and adjust their economies to the liberalisation process. Negotiations will therefore be as flexible as possible in establishing the duration of a sufficient transitional period, the final product coverage, taking into account sensitive sectors, and the degree of asymmetry in terms of timetable for tariff dismantlement, while remaining in conformity with WTO rules then prevailing.

As trade is a European Community competence, it is the European Commission which conducts the negotiations on the EPAs between the EU and the six regional groupings of ACP states. The Commission provides the Council with regular updates on the progress of the negotiations. In this regard, I welcome Commissioner Mandelson's statement that he is putting the EPA process under continuing review to ensure that at every stage in the negotiations the development dimension is placed first.

Ireland is actively following the developments in the EPA negotiations. At the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels on 24 May, for instance, I drew attention to the concerns which have been expressed, including by Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, that the EPAs are not sufficiently development focused. I emphasised that it will be important for the Commission to reassure member states that it is addressing these concerns.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has primary responsibility for trade policy. An officer of that Department represents Ireland at meetings of the 133 committee. This committee normally meets once a month at the level of full members. An officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs also attends meetings of the committee on a regular basis. Given the importance for Ireland of trade and trade relations with other countries, including those which are programme countries for Ireland's development co-operation programme, my Department works closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and other Departments, including the Department of Agriculture and Food, in preparing for meetings of the 133 committee and on questions relating to trade generally, including the EPA negotiations.

All the programme countries in Ireland's bilateral aid programme — Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Timor Leste — are ACP states. In each of these countries, Ireland works in close co-operation with our partner Government, other donors, the private sector and civil society to ensure coherence in our approach across a range of sectors. Among the issues discussed are the impact of EU policies, including EPAs, and the integration of least developed countries, LDCs, into the international trading system. This approach will help build the economic infrastructure in the LDCs which will help employment generation and, ultimately, long-term sustainable development. I do not, however, have the level of detail being sought by Deputy McGrath on employment in particular industries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In common with most other countries in the southern Africa region, South Africa is Mozambique's main foreign investor and strong trade links have developed between the two countries in recent years. It would not be appropriate for me to express a view on which specific industries in Mozambique, or indeed any other third country, could sustain competition from South Africa.

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