Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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878. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views that the European Union-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, CETA, should be provisionally applied, before Dáil Éireann has the chance to debate and vote on its ratification; and if she will veto the provisional application of it until the parliaments of each member state have debated and voted on CETA. [22138/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is a new generation agreement that will remove over 99% of tariffs between the EU and Canada and will create sizeable new market access opportunities in services and investment. It will end limitations in access to public contracts, open-up services market, and offer predictable conditions for investors. The agreement covers virtually every aspect of economic activity, and it is extremely important for Ireland. It offers significant opportunities for growth in trade for with Canada. The agreement opens up public procurement markets in the Canadian provinces giving Irish firms increased access to Canadian public sector purchasing. Ireland also gains unlimited tariff free access for most of our important food exports. Irish firms will also benefit from the recognition of product standards. In addition, Ireland successfully campaigned for a low beef import quota from Canada to the EU thereby safeguarding our important EU market in this area.

The EU Commission consulted the State and other EU governments on a regular and ongoing basis throughout the CETA negotiations. The EU Commission also consulted the European Parliament. All Member States advised and assisted the Commission in negotiating and concluding this agreement. As in all free trade negotiations, Ireland ensured that our economic interests were both promoted and defended to the fullest extent possible to secure the best deal for us.

At the EU Council of Trade Ministers on the 13th May 2016, the Council had an exchange of views on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the process towards signature and provisional application of the agreement. The European Commission and Member States highlighted the high quality of the agreement reached with Canada and expressed the desire to work towards signature of the agreement at the October EU-Canada Summit. At the meeting, I made Ireland’s approach clear, that based on our assessment of its provisions, we viewed CETA as a mixed Agreement, in terms of EU and Member State competency.

The Commission published its proposals for signature, conclusion and provisional application of the agreement on the 5th July 2016. In view of the position taken by Ireland and other Member States I note that the Commission has now decided to submit CETA to the Council for decision as a mixed agreement.

It will be a matter for the Council and the European Parliament to decide on the signature and provisional application of CETA. Following a decision by the Council with the consent of the Parliament, it will be possible to provisionally apply CETA. Its full entering into force will be subject to the conclusion by the EU, through a Council decision with the consent of the Parliament, and by all Member States through the relevant national ratification procedures. This means that the Oireachtas will be part of the final decision to ratify the agreement.

The provisional application of Free Trade Agreements is standard practice. What is at issue is what should be within scope in such application. We’ve argued that only those areas directly within exclusive Commission competence should be covered by provisional application. The Commission has already accepted that the CETA is a mixed agreement.