Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 22: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress being made on bilateral economic partnership agreements between the EU and third countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33492/11]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Since 2002, the EU has been negotiating a series of new trade and development agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of States. The negotiations for these Economic Partnership Agreements are being carried out by the European Commission, on behalf of the European Community and the Member States. They were necessitated by rulings by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that the unilateral trade preferences which the EU had previously granted to the ACP countries established unfair discrimination between developing countries.

The original aim had been to conclude comprehensive Agreements with six regional groupings of the ACP States by the end of 2007, the deadline set by the WTO. However, following a process of protracted and difficult negotiations, only one of the ACP regional groups, representing Caribbean States, was ready to initial an Economic Partnership Agreement by that date. In order to avoid trade disruption, interim Agreements were agreed and initialled at the end of 2007 with 21 other ACP States, either individually or in regional groupings. These interim Agreements provide for full duty and quota-free access to the European Union market but allow the ACP countries a flexible and asymmetric trade liberalisation schedule.

In recent years, there have been well-founded concerns that momentum in the negotiations was being lost. It was also clear there was a need to revitalise the original shared commitment to the achievement of strong Agreements which serve the development needs of the ACP countries, promoting inclusive economic growth and regional integration. Political leaders from both sides agreed at the EU-Africa Summit in November 2010 "to conclude Economic Partnership Agreements that support socio-economic development, regional integration and the integration of Africa into the global economy". As a result, the European Commission has this year engaged actively and flexibly in renewed negotiations at the regional level. In tandem with this approach, at the end of September the Commission adopted a proposal, for submission to the Council, which would set a deadline of 1 January 2014 for the conclusion of the negotiations.

As Minister of State for Trade and Development, I am following the negotiations for these trade agreements closely and we are considering the Commission's September proposal. I believe it is essential that all such agreements clearly support the development needs of developing countries, and specifically their programmes to reduce poverty. I am working with our partners to help ensure that the EU's negotiating approach is as flexible as possible under WTO law and that the negotiations being led by the European Commission serve to strengthen the EU's partnership with developing countries.

Question No. 23 answered with Question No. 20.

Question No. 24 answered with Question No. 10.

Question No. 25 answered with Question No. 20.