Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to hear that by February the Government had moved to this point. I, along with my colleagues in the Independent Group, wrote to the Commission last November. Article 2 of the trade association agreement is very clear and states that the provisions of the agreement shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles to guide internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this agreement. I voted for that agreement in the European Parliament. We spent a lot of time examining trade deals and the carrot-and-stick aspect, as it were. This agreement makes a mockery of that, and I do not say that lightly. If at this point the EU is not reviewing that trade agreement, what is the point in us voting for something like that? When I initially raised this issue, the response was not positive from the Government. I know the Minister has come around to it. Can anything else be done at this point to move things forward so that the EU can stand over what is in its own trade agreements?

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