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

The visit of Prime Minister Trudeau to Ireland was a very welcome visit. The purpose of the visit was to cement the bonds of friendship that exist between our two countries and governments. We discussed many different issues in our meetings, but free trade and CETA, which is a free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, were things we discussed in depth. While some countries may be turning their backs on free trade, this country, those in the EU and Canada are absolutely committed to it. We understand that free trade in the round makes us all better off and creates good jobs and opportunities for businesses and individuals. Both countries are very committed to CETA and want to see it implemented as soon as possible.

While there are always arguments over free trade agreements, once they are in place very few people want to pull back from them. That is why we are trying to retain the free trade agreements we have with the UK because we know they make us better off. That is also why we joined the EU. We all know the EU has made us better off. CETA will be no different. It will be a successful and progressive free trade agreement that creates jobs and opportunities for people. That is what government is all about.

It is intended that provisional ratification will occur in the next couple of months. That will give us about 80% of the benefits of the deal. We will remove tariffs from the vast majority of goods that are traded between the two countries. We do not have a date for formal ratification, which involves the court procedure that the Deputy mentioned, as yet. There is no timeline for it. Only two countries in the EU have so far ratified it and we do not have any plans to do so in the next couple of months, but will do so in due course. What is crucial to us is provisional ratification because that is what removes the tariff barriers. Removing the tariff barriers is the mechanism by which we will get the most benefits economically.

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