Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on proposed economic partnership agreements between the EU and East African Community States. [20937/10]

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 42: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on proposed economic partnership agreements between the EU and the Southern African Development Community states. [20936/10]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on proposed economic partnership agreements between the EU and the Eastern and Southern Africa States. [20938/10]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 12, 42 and 51 together.

Since 2002, the EU has been negotiating a series of important new agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (or ACP) group of States. These Economic Partnership Agreements combine both trade and development provisions. The negotiations are being carried out by the European Commission, on behalf of the European Community and the Member States.

The negotiations are necessary as a result of rulings by the World Trade Organisation that the unilateral trade preferences which the EU had granted to the ACP countries established unfair discrimination between developing countries. The mandate for the negotiations is derived from the Cotonou Agreement of 2000, between the EU and the ACP States. The central objective is the reduction and eventual eradication of poverty, consistent with the objectives of sustainable development and the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy.

It had been hoped that comprehensive Agreements with six regional groupings of the ACP States could be concluded by the end of 2007, the deadline set by the WTO. However, following a process of protracted and difficult negotiation, only one of the ACP regional groups, representing Caribbean States, was in a position to initial a full Agreement before the deadline. In order to avoid trade disruption, interim Agreements were agreed and initialled at the end of 2007 with 21 other ACP States. These interim Agreements provide for full duty and quota-free market access on the EU side and a flexible and asymmetric trade liberalisation schedule on the ACP side. They include development cooperation provisions and provide for improved rules of origin.

Ireland has so far signed the full Economic Partnership Agreement with the Caribbean States and interim Agreements with Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and members of the Southern African Development Community. The Government has submitted a Dáil Motion, which is currently on the Order Paper, seeking approval by Dáil Éireann of the terms of the three interim Agreements referred to by the Deputies. The three Agreements in question cover a total of 16 African countries.

I believe that these Agreements provide an open, transparent and legal framework for trade and development, and will encourage the gradual integration of the ACP States into the global economy. They are interim agreements, but represent important building blocks to full regional Economic Partnership Agreements, which are under negotiation.

Ireland has worked consistently, in cooperation with a number of other EU partners, to ensure that the final Agreements strongly support the development needs of the ACP countries, and specifically their poverty reduction programmes. At meetings of EU Development Ministers, I have stressed the importance of maintaining a negotiating approach which would, for example, allow for application of the trade flexibility permissible under WTO law. We will continue to work with our EU partners, and with partner countries in the developing world, to ensure that the negotiations being led by the European Commission serve to strengthen the EU's partnership with the ACP States.