Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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44. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if representations were made by his Department on behalf of the Irish cultural industry in negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the European Union and Canada; and if so, the details of same. [11984/21]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will no doubt be aware International Trade Policy is an exclusive EU competence under the EU Treaties and defined as the Common Commercial Policy. Under this architecture the Commission represents Ireland and other Member States, taking into account the needs of individual Member States and the collective good of the Union in international trade negotiations.

The EU's Trade Policy Committee (TPC) advises and assists the Commission in negotiating agreements with third countries, such as Canada, or in international organisations in the area of the common commercial policy. It also acts as one of the preparatory bodies in the decision-making process of the Council as regards EU trade policy. My Department represents Ireland at the TPC and engages with other Government Departments, as relevant issues arise, to ensure Ireland’s interests are considered in all EU Trade Policy related matters.

EU-Canada negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) started in May 2009 and were concluded at the EU-Canada Summit on 26 September 2014. CETA is currently applied on a provisional basis, since September 2017, with the ratification process still ongoing at the EU Member State level. Canada has already completed its ratification process.

The Agreement covers virtually every aspect of economic activity and will provide new market opportunities in many sectors for Irish firms given the extensive bilateral business links between Ireland and Canada. Indeed, outside of Europe, the US and China, Canada is our largest indigenous export market. More than 400 Enterprise Ireland clients are doing business in the Canadian market employing over 6,000 people. Since the commencement of provisional application, duties on 98% of products that the EU trades with Canada have been removed. Furthermore, exports of Irish goods and services to Canada totalled approximately €3.9 billion in 2019, a 35% increase compared to 2016, the last full year, prior to the provisional application of CETA.

CETA will enhance Canadian consumer’s access to the EU’s and Ireland’s all important creative and cultural goods. For example, under CETA, Canadian tariffs on EU jewellery of up to 8.5% are now eliminated, benefiting Irish and European exporters, including SMEs and individual designers/ craftspeople. With Canada ending 99% of its tariffs on European goods, numerous European creative and cultural goods have become cheaper on the Canadian market. Furthermore, textiles and clothing made in the EU, once taxed at 18% - are now tariff-free.

CETA has an entire chapter dedicated to protecting the intellectual property of EU and Canadian producers. This is of particular benefit to the EU’s film, music and publishing industries. Both the EU and Canada largely align their intellectual property laws and commitments to international agreements such as the Berne Convention for the Protections of Literary and Artistic Works and the Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations.

Under CETA’s conformity process, the EU’s cultural and creative industries now benefit from the same intellectual property protections in Canada as they do domestically. Canada has also committed to strengthening its border inspections for counterfeit trademark goods, especially coming as a benefit for the EU’s textile, clothing and interior designers; while they will also enhance their effort to tackle pirated copyright goods, which would greatly help the EU and Irish artists, musicians and writers.

The global economy is changing in ways that are making trade more important than ever before. As a small, open economy, Ireland has benefitted immensely from our export orientated enterprises trading across the globe and, therefore, we fully support balanced international trade and the suite of EU Free Trade Agreements, including CETA, that seek to underpin this. Diversifying trade is a key priority for this Government and an important part of our Brexit response and it will be an important factor in Ireland’s economic recovery post-pandemic. The best way to achieve export growth and market diversification is by improving the terms of trade for Irish firms. It is important that we continue to secure greater market access for our exports and reduce the costs of entering those markets.