Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

We would all accept that a fair and balanced outcome from the WTO talks would be universally beneficial. In recent times there has been intensive activity at ministerial and official level aimed at ensuring that Ireland's concerns are brought to the attention of all the key figures in the negotiations.

WTO negotiations are regularly discussed at the General Affairs and External Relations Council. Such a discussion took place on 10 March when the Council briefed Commissioner Mandelson and exchanged views with him on the state of play in the negotiations. The Council at that time also noted the need for further progress in areas such as services and geographic indications.

The March Council expressed support for further improvements being sought in the negotiating texts issued last February by the chairmen of the Geneva-based WTO. It had been expected that the chairmen would issue new texts this month, but there has been slippage in this timetable, for reasons about which we can all speculate and probably know, and the texts were not available. In the absence of the texts and revised papers or other developments arising from discussions in Geneva, it was agreed that the WTO negotiations would not figure on the agenda of the April meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council.

The discussions which the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have had with our European colleagues on the WTO negotiations complement the extensive range of efforts the Taoiseach and other Ministers have made with their European counterparts. When the Taoiseach met Commission President Barroso and Chancellor Merkel recently in Dublin, he set out our concerns about the impact an unbalanced WTO agreement would have on Irish and EU agriculture. These concerns were also raised during the meeting which the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance and the Minister for Foreign Affairs had with President Barroso in Dublin. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment also raised the issue with President Barroso during his visit to Cork.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, has been extremely active in regularly briefing her ministerial counterparts in other EU member states. The ongoing WTO negotiations were discussed at some length at the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 14 April. The Minister, Deputy Coughlan, travelled to Brussels on Tuesday of this week to meet Commissioner Mandelson to again reiterate our concerns.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and his colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for trade and commerce, are also engaged in the WTO negotiations. The Minister of State, Deputy McGuinness, has undertaken an intensive series of meetings with key figures in Brussels, Geneva and EU capitals and continues to remain in close contact with his counterparts.

The Government will continue to use every possible opportunity to press home Ireland's concerns and to insist that the negotiations must provide an ambitious agreement, but one that is fair and balanced to all sides. We will spare no effort in our defence of Ireland's interests, including those in our vital agricultural sector.

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