Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Ireland is very much aware of the role it must play in reaching the millennium development goals and we are focusing very much on reducing poverty and supporting the provision of basic services to the poorest people in the world. Clearly our goal is reaching 0.7% of GDP by 2012, three years earlier than the agreed European Union deadline of 2015. The interim target this year was 0.5% and we are going for an interim target of 0.6% by 2010.

The Deputy raised an issue regarding trade which is very relevant now because we are discussing economic partnership agreements. We have had two meetings of development Ministers, with the last meeting in Brussels. I put the point that I do not want any ACP country to be worse off on 1 January than when we met on 20 November. There will be a report back to the Council in December.

It is vitally important to secure arrangements which would allow trade to continue without interruption, and the least we can expect is for arrangements to be put in place which will not disadvantage developing countries. Ireland has often stated that the development aspects of economic partnership agreements, EPAs, must take priority and I put that point to the Commission at the recent meeting. EPAs will be the major instruments of our relations with ACP countries and they should fully reflect both trade and development aspects. I called upon the Commission to conduct negotiations in the spirit of goodwill, flexibility and understanding.

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