Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 4: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason World Trade Organisation talks were taken off the agenda for the recent GAERC meeting; if he had informal discussions with his EU colleagues regarding Ireland's concerns at Commissioner Mandelson's disregard of his EU mandate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16867/08]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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We would all accept that a fair and balanced outcome from the WTO talks would be universally beneficial. In recent times there has been intensive activity at ministerial and official level aimed at ensuring that Ireland's concerns are brought to the attention of all the key figures in the negotiations.

WTO negotiations are regularly discussed at the General Affairs and External Relations Council. Such a discussion took place on 10 March when the Council briefed Commissioner Mandelson and exchanged views with him on the state of play in the negotiations. The Council at that time also noted the need for further progress in areas such as services and geographic indications.

The March Council expressed support for further improvements being sought in the negotiating texts issued last February by the chairmen of the Geneva-based WTO. It had been expected that the chairmen would issue new texts this month, but there has been slippage in this timetable, for reasons about which we can all speculate and probably know, and the texts were not available. In the absence of the texts and revised papers or other developments arising from discussions in Geneva, it was agreed that the WTO negotiations would not figure on the agenda of the April meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council.

The discussions which the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have had with our European colleagues on the WTO negotiations complement the extensive range of efforts the Taoiseach and other Ministers have made with their European counterparts. When the Taoiseach met Commission President Barroso and Chancellor Merkel recently in Dublin, he set out our concerns about the impact an unbalanced WTO agreement would have on Irish and EU agriculture. These concerns were also raised during the meeting which the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance and the Minister for Foreign Affairs had with President Barroso in Dublin. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment also raised the issue with President Barroso during his visit to Cork.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Coughlan, has been extremely active in regularly briefing her ministerial counterparts in other EU member states. The ongoing WTO negotiations were discussed at some length at the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 14 April. The Minister, Deputy Coughlan, travelled to Brussels on Tuesday of this week to meet Commissioner Mandelson to again reiterate our concerns.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and his colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for trade and commerce, are also engaged in the WTO negotiations. The Minister of State, Deputy McGuinness, has undertaken an intensive series of meetings with key figures in Brussels, Geneva and EU capitals and continues to remain in close contact with his counterparts.

The Government will continue to use every possible opportunity to press home Ireland's concerns and to insist that the negotiations must provide an ambitious agreement, but one that is fair and balanced to all sides. We will spare no effort in our defence of Ireland's interests, including those in our vital agricultural sector.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It is obvious that it was only following the march by 10,000 farmers in Dublin two weeks ago tomorrow that the Government woke up to the problem we face. This issue not only concerns the farming lobby, but our national interest is at stake, given that we are the fourth largest exporter of beef in the world.

I wish to put a number of questions to the Minister of State on the talks. Is he hopeful that the Foreign Ministers can reach an agreement within the EU? Now that the negotiations are at a crucial stage, what action does the Minister for Foreign Affairs intend to take in regard to Ireland's interests? That is important. As the Minister of State said, the Minister, Deputy Coughlan, had negotiations with Commissioner Mandelson, but it is obvious he is not for turning. He issued a very nice press release but there was nothing substantial in it. The Minister, Deputy Coughlan, also had meetings with her German counterpart. Are further meetings due to take place with Foreign Ministers and Agriculture Ministers?

If Commissioner Mandelson proceeds with an agreement that is not in the interests of the Irish Government, it is important that the Minister of State come clean about our position in that event. The Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, said during a meeting of the Forum on Europe that in the event of the treaty being passed by the Irish people that the Irish Government would not be able to use its veto at the WTO talks. Perhaps Gerry Adams does not understand the treaty, but the Minister of State needs to tell us in this House this afternoon that in the event of non-agreement, the Government can use its veto.

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am grateful to the Deputy for that supplementary because it is critical that the truth be told in the debate in the run-up to the referendum. The Deputy can take it that the WTO talks and the Lisbon referendum are not in any way connected. He can also take it that, irrespective of where we are at in our internal referendum, under European law, if and when a decision is made at the WTO talks, it must come back to and be unanimously agreed in Council. I am not sure what Mr. Adams said because I was engaged in business in the other House and, unfortunately, could not attend the meeting of the forum. However, if he made that point, and I have no doubt the Deputy is accurately reflecting what he said, he was not stating the position correctly.

On the general issue, I met five Commissioners in the past while and we discussed the WTO on each of those occasions. A week and a half before President Barroso visited this city I happened to be in Brussels for a group of meetings with EU Commissioners and their cabinets and at the same time I met the Irish farming organisations, particularly the IFA. We had a lengthy discussion and, following a briefing I received there, I went and briefed each of the cabinets and the Commissioners. It is simply not correct to say that the Government has in any way been indolent or taken its eye off the ball. We are making contacts at every conceivable level.

To return to the Deputy's point, which is an important one and I am pleased he raised it, the Lisbon treaty does not have the effect Mr. Adams attributed to it. In the event of a different agreement at WTO — I believe the prospects for agreement at the WTO are not good — first and foremost it will have to come back to the Council and that is where we must have our influence. That is where building alliances in Europe will be critically important for Ireland, our agricultural sector and the future of European agriculture.

As I said, and I believe the Deputy will agree with me, on 13 June after votes are counted, who in this country believes we will be in a better position to negotiate and build alliances if we get a "No" vote?

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I wish to ask a brief supplementary.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As we are well over the time allowed for this question, the Deputy can ask a very brief supplementary.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Nobody wants the veto to be used, but I take it the Minister of State is confirming we can use our veto in this regard. The Taoiseach was given assurances by Commissioner Barosso when he met him last week about copperfastening Ireland's veto in the taxation area. I take it the Minister is confirming that Ireland could use its veto if necessary.

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely, I give a clear affirmative on that. This matter would have to come back to the Council, where it would have to be unanimously agreed.