Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is correct to say they have not ratified it. My thanks to the Senator for clarifying that. Of the 27 countries, 15 have ratified and 12 have not. As I mentioned earlier, the Assemblée Nationale in France, the equivalent of the Dáil, has ratified it. As Senator Boylan said, the French Government intends to ratify it. It is simply a matter of timing. It is for political reasons, as Senator Boylan pointed out, rather than policy reasons. The German Parliament has ratified the agreement - these are the biggest countries in terms of population in Europe - but it is currently stuck in the courts.

I have a view on Ireland when it comes to international agreements and free trade agreements, whether they are on climate or the rights of people with disabilities or trade. We should seek to be among the early adopters and among the first to ratify the agreements. That is the approach I took with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when getting it through as Taoiseach. I feel the same about the Istanbul Convention and similar agreements. We should not wait to be last or be in the second half of countries. We should not say that simply because a country is slower than us, then it is fine. We should aim to be among the countries first to ratify. That is a matter of opinion. Again, it speaks to my issue of Ireland being seen as a country that is committed to being pro-enterprise, multilateralist and interested in free trade rather than a country that waits until everyone else has done it to ratify. I think that approach sends out the wrong message.