Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I stated previously, the EU made a statement on behalf of its member states at the sixth session of the working group, and raised a number of specific concerns on the draft text. While individual national statements can be important, in this context an EU statement on behalf of the 27 member states carries much more influence. Ireland, alongside fellow member states, helped to shape a coherent EU approach. I am aware that France made a statement, which included reference to some national initiatives while also highlighting some concerns with the current draft of the proposed treaty. These concerns are broadly similar to those reflected in the statement made by the European Union on behalf of member states. Both statements are publicly available on the UN Human Rights Council website. As I mentioned earlier, we are trying to be part of shaping a collective EU approach on this issue. That makes sense for all sorts of reasons in the context of how the European Union operates its Single Market and it applies standards and rules and regulations to businesses within that Single Market. We could do something very significant if we could be part of a group of proactive member states that progressed the issue at an EU level.

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