Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Twenty years ago there was a vision of a genuine partnership between the peoples of South America and Europe. What was intended was a mutual beneficial partnership which would assist both Europe and the Mercosur countries to continue their economic development. With what we have been presented in the draft is mostly a free trade agreement. There is mention of social and environmental protection, but there is scant detail. That is not what the people of either continent deserve.

Trade union representatives in both Europe and South America have been blocked from getting information on the deal. I spoke to representatives of the European trade union movement today. They have not been intrinsically involved in the deal’s negotiation. What happened to the plan to have a genuine development partnership between Europe and South America? Why have we been presented with a trade agreement in which there is little mention of social and environmental protection? The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys, has repeated phrases from the European Commission that there will be environmental protection and that it will enforce International Labour Organization, ILO, rules to eliminate child exploitation and forced labour. What mechanisms will be in place to enforce protection of the environment, including rainforests, as well as the measures to prevent the exploitation of workers and child labour?

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