Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

On a recent visit to Colombia with others, we put some questions directly to the European Union's representative in Bogota, who was not forthcoming on some of the specific matters I have raised in this question. First, how do the clauses contained in the European Union-Colombia agreement differ from, for example, the human rights clauses we have as a conditionality in the agreement with Israel? How will it be monitored? The Minister of State has just stated that the mechanism for monitoring will succeed the coming into effect of the trade agreement, which would be unsatisfactory. The Minister of State should note that the United States, in its trade agreement with Colombia, decided not to proceed with the agreement, curiously, on the basis that it was a human rights deficiency. My specific questions are how will the human rights impact assessment of the trade agreement be carried out and by whom? Will the annual review process and the human rights benchmarks be agreed before final approval of the agreement? It has yet, for example, to go back to the parliament in Bogota where no doubt it will be approved. However, in respect of the European Union, it is interesting. Can the Minister of State provide me with an assurance that this agreement will be classified as a mixed agreement, thereby requiring ratification by the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the parliaments of the member states? Will it be classified as a mixed agreement because of the importance of the human rights clauses? The Minister of State will appreciate this point because so many people have been killed. There have been so many extrajudicial killings and it is important that the transition from the presidency of President Uribe to that of President Santos should provide a human rights dividend.

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