Written answers

Tuesday, 22 February 2005

Department of Foreign Affairs

International Agreements

8:00 pm

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the nature of contact his Department has had at EU 133 committee meetings in view of the impact of liberalisation of trade with Ireland's priority aid countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6022/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will press its EU partners for increased co-operation with ACP countries to attain an extension of the Cotonou waiver at the WTO or to change GATT Article XXIV in order for the EU to continue to give preferential access to poor countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6023/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 190: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the assessment his Department has undertaken concerning the impact upon agricultural and industrial producers in Ireland's priority aid countries of the EPAs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6024/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 191: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of any EPA impact assessments on Irish priority aid countries, that is, the level of unemployment expected, the nature of industries to be adversely affected and the capacity of these countries to adjust to EU competition within the transition period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6025/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the communications, meetings and other representations his Department has had with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the liberalisation of markets under the proposed EPAs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6026/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the concerns his Department has raised with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment over the opening up of priority country markets to EU competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6027/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the areas of priority country markets his Department has suggested should be excluded from liberalisation, in EU and inter-departmental meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6028/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the regional groupings required under EPAs; his views on the fact that Zambia is forced by this process to decide between SADC and COMESA, two regional groupings in which it has invested years of energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6029/05]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on criticisms that, with the EPAs, the EU is bringing about an effective redrawing of the economic map of Africa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6030/05]

Photo of Conor LenihanConor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 188 to 196, inclusive, together.

The legally binding Cotonou Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, states and the European Union provides for the negotiation of economic partnership agreements, EPAs, between the parties. Since trade is a European Community competence, the European Commission negotiates the EPAs between the EU and six regional groupings of ACP states on behalf of the member states. The Commission provides member states with regular updates on the progress of the negotiations. The EPAs are to enter into force by 1 January 2008.

The EPAs are first and foremost instruments for development that will foster the smooth and gradual integration of ACP states into the world economy with due regard for their political choices and development priorities, thereby promoting their sustainable development and contributing to poverty eradication in the ACP countries. They combine trade and wider development issues in a unified framework while taking account of the specific economic, social and environmental circumstances of each regional group and its component states. By enlarging ACP markets through regional integration and by making regulatory frameworks in these countries more transparent, EPAs can create an environment conducive to the private sector and thus function as a vehicle for long-term economic development.

According to Article 37(7) of the Cotonou Agreement, the negotiations on the EPAs:

shall take account of the level of development and the socio-economic impact of trade measures on ACP countries, and their capacity to adapt and adjust their economies to the liberalisation process. Negotiations will therefore be as flexible as possible in establishing the duration of a sufficient transitional period, the final product coverage, taking into account sensitive sectors, and the degree of asymmetry in terms of timetable for tariff dismantlement, while remaining in conformity with WTO rules then prevailing.

While Ireland, like the other member states, does not participate in the ongoing EPA negotiations, we are generally satisfied that the Commission is discharging its mandate in accordance with these provisions of the Cotonou Agreement. It is clear from the most recent EU-ACP joint report of October last on the state of play of regional EPA negotiations that the process with the six regions is conducted with considerable concern for its impact on the economies of the ACP countries. As in all trade negotiations, the EPA negotiation has brought to light differences of approach between the parties in a number of areas. It is to be hoped that as the talks progress, these divergences can be resolved in accordance with the principles and objectives underlying the negotiations. However, it is not helpful for the success of the EPA project at this stage to suggest taking action at the WTO for a continuation beyond 2008 of the preferential access of ACP countries to EU markets.

All the programme countries in Ireland's bilateral aid programme — Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Timor-Leste — are ACP states. Our underlying approach in those countries is complementary to that of the EPAs in that we are sensitive to the need to help build the economic architecture in these least developed countries so that they will be able to avail of an improving international trading environment. To that end, Ireland works both with its partner governments and with other donor countries to ensure a real focus on economic development and employment generation and on helping to equip our African partners to pursue access for their goods and progressively the means to avail of that access.

Within Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has primary responsibility for trade policy. An officer of that Department represents Ireland at meetings of the 133 committee. The committee normally meets once a month at the level of full members. An officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs also attends meetings of the committee on a regular basis.

Given the importance for Ireland of trade and trade relations with other countries, including those which are programme countries for Ireland's development co-operation programme, there is close co-operation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and other Departments, including the Department of Agriculture and Food, in preparing for meetings of the 133 committee and on questions relating to trade generally, including the EPA negotiations.

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