Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his role in the context of the World Trade Organisation negotiations; if he is conscious of the vulnerability of some aspects of Irish and European manufacturing and service sectors with the potential for serious loss of employment to more competitive regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31651/07]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The current round of trade liberalisation talks in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Doha Development Agenda Round (DDA), covers all aspects of international trade, including agriculture, industrialised goods, services, rules and trade facilitation. As a small open economy, Ireland has much to gain from a well-ordered rules-based world trading system. Accordingly, we are working for a balanced and ambitious outcome across all the core areas, where the vital interests of all countries, in particular the developing countries, are taken into account and where the WTO continues to provide a stable and consistent framework for the regulation of world trade.

The WTO has had a subtle but profound effect on Irish industrial development. As the body that sets the rules of international trade, the WTO has regulated and progressively liberalised trade relations between Ireland and nearly all countries outside the EU, including the USA and most of Latin America and Asia. This has been an important factor behind Ireland's economic transformation over the last four decades. I believe, therefore, that we must continue to work within the WTO to open new markets and develop existing ones. Ireland's manufacturing and services sectors depend to a large extent on exports. For them well regulated trade with fair and transparent rules and improved customs procedures is, therefore, of the utmost importance to the development of their industries.

Under the EU's Common Commercial Policy, it is the European Commission that has the competence to conduct trade negotiations on behalf of the EU. These negotiations are conducted on the basis of a mandate agreed by the Council. My role as Minister for Trade is to ensure that Ireland's interests are reflected to the fullest extent possible in the Common Commercial Policy, and, therefore, in the WTO negotiations.