David Norris (Independent)

I am grateful to my colleague, Senator Joe O'Toole, for sharing his time with me. I heard speakers describe Commissioner Mandelson as acting in a very British manner. This was an unnecessary comment. We should analyse what he is doing. I do not know whether it is British. I am not sure what "British" means in this sense. He has certainly behaved with a lack of caution and taken a fairly bullying approach. Perhaps it links in to the colonial past but we associate ourselves with it in many ways when it puts pressure or a squeeze on some of the least developed countries on the planet. I am glad Senator Joe O'Toole raised this point.

The Minister's speech contains an interesting paragraph where he discusses safeguarding production based in the EU to meet future demands of our population for food and bioenergy. I am glad this was mentioned because population is rarely mentioned, and it must be examined. The problems for departments in every country go back to the explosion in population, about which nobody is talking. The population is at twice the level it was at when I entered Trinity College. During my adult life, the population of the planet has doubled. Perhaps it will do so again during the next 50 years. This is what is putting pressure on agriculture resources.

Senator Joe O'Toole is correct about the dumping of food on the Third World. It is not a level playing field. Often in politics the level playing field approach is advocated. Our activities as part of the European Union mean we are part of an attempt to impose economic partnership agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries which exceed the demands of the WTO. The demands of the WTO are even unfair, as has been indicated by Senator O'Toole. How much more unfair then are those demands which exceed them and to which we are party? I appeal to the Minister to examine this liberalisation of trade in the selfish interests of the European Union which goes even further than the WTO. These agreements, as they stand, do not constitute development friendly partnerships, as they go beyond what is required for compliance.

A number of west African ministers have deplored the message exhorted by the European Commission in a statement following a meeting of theirs recently. The African Union Assembly declaration stated, "The process leading to the conclusion of interim EPAs did not build on what was negotiated earlier and, in particular, political and economic pressures are being exerted by the European Commission". Mr. Mandelson was referred to again in the context of the tantrums he threw and bullying engaged in.

I have three requests to make of Government. We should back independent evaluations of any impact assessment of what has been agreed in the economic partnership agreements. There should be renegotiation of any aspect and we should reduce it at least to the minimum necessary for WTO compliance. We should allow for complete flexibility for developing countries in any negotiations on trade-related issues such as intellectual property to be led by a developing country. This flows directly from our practice, as Senator O'Toole said, of not only protecting our own farmers but disadvantaging the poorest and least advantaged on the planet.