Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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90. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the position regarding the proposed European Union/United States Trade Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19677/13]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The report of the High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth was published on 11 February this year. The Group recommended significantly closer trade relations between the two economies of the EU and the US. It reported on the opportunities for mutually beneficial job creation, economic growth and international competitiveness that would follow from a comprehensive EU–US trade and investment agreement. These opportunities are truly significant, leading to an increase in EU GDP of up to 0.5% for an ambitious and comprehensive final agreement.

I recently chaired an Informal meeting of the EU Trade Council in Dublin. At that meeting there was unanimous support from all EU trade ministers for such an agreement because of the clear and advantageous benefits it would bring to the EU economy, businesses, employees and consumers. The EU Council is currently considering a draft negotiating mandate that will enable the EU Commission to open negotiations on a new, historic and unique trade and investment agreement with the United States. Negotiations on this mandate will continue for some while yet.

I hope, however, that they will be satisfactorily concluded under the Irish Presidency of the EU, so that no time can be lost in moving to start negotiations on a trade and investment agreement that will set the standards for other ambitious agreements and also one that will have global significance.